Psycho Fairy
by SVM612
Summary: Eric has his hands full when Naill allows his Great Granddaughter to enter the human realm. Is she as crazy as they say or just misunderstood. AU/OOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Charlaine Harris owns everything S.V.M. I'm just playing with them.**

**Okay. I am a FanFic Virgin, so please be gentle. This is something that I haven't been able to get out of my head. So I figured why not post it.**

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**EPOV**

It is another typical night of enthralling the vermin at my bar Fangtasia. As much as I enjoy being the center of attention, the fang bangers offer no real entertainment anymore. Every night is the same, they are all the same. Damn blood bags. Maybe I can kick someone in the face that always provides amusement. I have been sitting on my throne for the past hour playing Suduko on my phone. Don't get me wrong. I love my bar. How could I not? It provides me with a generous income and unlimited blood supply.

I scan the club once more before leaving my throne to go to my office. Everything is running smoothly. I am not needed out here any longer. I sit at my desk and start reading my emails. After a fair amount of business is taken care of my child, Pam enters my office. I lean back in my chair and raise an eyebrow at her. The last few nights she has been trying to convince me to put casual Tuesdays into effect. I really could give two shits that she wants to wear her new Chanel dress to work.

"Really, Eric. You couldn't have stayed out there a bit longer?" Oh joy. She is feeling bitchy.

"No" I answer shortly.

"You know the humans mainly come to see you Oh Great One." She rolls her eyes at this.

"I've already had my feed and fuck for the night." Not that it was satisfying for me. She was an attractive brunette but her blood was tainted and her skills were mediocre at best. Another example of false advertising. The blood bag should consider herself very privileged to have been chosen by me. She will not be getting a repeat performance.

"Well very good for you. I am so happy I could burst." She is also feeling sarcastic. Wonderful.

"Pamela, was there a reason you came in here?" She takes a seat in front of my desk and crosses her legs. It can't be an emergency if she is behaving this way.

"Actually I do have a reason." She is fucking smirking at me. It is times like these that I can't remember why I didn't just drain her ass dry.

"And what the hell is it?"

"Chow has some information he thought you should know."

"Well where the fuck is he?" I am beginning to lose my patience with her.

"Around" She shrugs her shoulders. Why does she feel the need to play these games? I swear one of these days I will burn her fucking shoe collection.

"ENOUGH! Get him in here now!" I hiss at her. She gets the points and heads for the door. Good Girl.

"Yes Master" Fucking Finally! If vampires could get headaches, I would be screwed.

She returns with Chow a few minutes later. Pam takes a seat on the sofa and Chow sits on a chair in front of my desk. He rests his arms on his knees and leans forward. Whatever he has found out cannot be good Pam looks bored. She sits back and begins to examine her nails. Bitch.

"What is this information?" I ask. Right to the point.

"As you know the Fae are still at war with each other" I doubt this is his news, it is a well known fact in the Supe community. The Fae have been fighting for sometime now in a civil war of sorts. Both sides have lost many. Blah Blah. All of that delicious blood wasted. It's a pity all they leave behind is that damn pixie dust. There have been some Vampire casualties, usually while they were trying to capture those tasty little snacks. Fairies are very hard to catch and extremely violent when provoked.

"Go on"

"Claudette Brigant has been killed" Now, but this is news. A royal fairy has not been killed in decades.

"I am assuming Brigant's followers are enraged by this." They are vindictive fuckers.

"Niall has taken extreme measures." Niall Brigant is the Prince of the Sky Fae. He is also a judgmental asshole. Talk about a power trip. Claudette was his granddaughter. She was also a triplet. I almost feel sorry for the unfortunate Fairy that killed her. I said almost.

"What has he done?" This should be good.

"He has set his psychotic great granddaughter loose in this realm to seek vengeance." Shit. Not good.

The psycho in question is Princess Sookie Brigant. She is a half-fairy and said to be even more ferocious than most full blooded fairies. That is saying something. Not many have ever seen her, and she mainly stays in Faery. Atleast there she is only killing her own kind. Very little is known of her or her powers. It is known that Niall favors her as do many other Sky Fae. I wonder if it was really his choice for her to come here or if she decided on her own.

"How did you find this out?"

"The triplets own that strip club Hooligans. Claude and Claudine were overheard discussing the arrangements being made for her arrival. They seemed very excited for her to get here." I bet. They probably have their victims lined up.

"I hear she is quite beautiful, very easy on the eyes" I roll my eyes at that. Fucking Pam.

"She is a fairy Pam, they are all beautiful" Don't forget their intoxicating scent. Hmm.

"Do we know if she prefers women? I've never had a fairy." If I didn't have first hand knowledge, I would swear she had a dick.

"Stop thinking with your dick Pam. We have bigger concerns." Thank you, Chow. "She is going to be in Area 5. Bon Temps I believe. This has potential to be a huge problem for us."

"Why Bon Temps?" That place is a shit hole. Why the fuck would she go there.

"I don't know. I'm sure there are reasons." He shrugged. "What worries me is the damage she can cause. She has killed Vampires and other Supes in the past." Crazy Fucking Fairy.

"We need to find out all we can about her. We have to know exactly what we are dealing with." The last thing we need is to get caught in the middle of their fucking war. "Gather as much as you can as quietly as possible. That is all for tonight."

After Chow left, I shut down my computer and put away some paperwork. Pam waited a few minutes before speaking. Atleast she is behaving. I have enough shit going on now.

"Do you really think the fairy is going to be a problem?"

"I hope not. The last thing we want is a war with Niall." That would not end well for anyone. "As long as she isn't a threat to us, it will be fine. We just have to be ready for anything. Those fairies are sneaky fuckers. You can't trust them for shit." They love playing head games.

"I guess we will wait and see. I have a feeling things will much more interesting now." Me too.

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I arrived at Fangtasia a little later than usual tonight. I collected a fair amount of information on Psycho Fairy over the last few days. It wasn't fucking easy. Chow and Pam were already waiting in my office when I walked in. I sat behind my desk and put my feet up. This could take awhile, why not be comfortable.

"What have you been able to find?" I asked Chow.

"She is staying in Bon Temps, there is a portal in the woods behind the farmhouse she is occupying. The Stackhouse property. She just arrived this week with her brother Jason. I spoke with the Shifter that owns Merlottes, he says the brother has been in there every night so far" I interrupted him there.

"Why is he going there? It can't be for the fine dining and stimulating conversation " Plus that place smells like wet fucking dog. Maybe a fairy will do the place some good. Automatic air freshener.

Chow seemed amused "It appears he has a thing for human women. He leaves with a different one every night, sometimes two." He laughed at this. The shifter probably hates this.

"What else do you know about the brother?" I don't think I've heard much about him, only the facts.

"They are twins. I don't think he has as much power. He isn't the brightest of the bunch. He bounces between realms. Besides his quest for bed mates he keeps a low profile." He tossed a folder on the desk. "The Were I sent out there got a couple of good shots of him today." I looked at the pictures. It is easy to see why the women would let him use them for his own pleasure. I passed them over to Pam. "I have them keeping their distance. I didn't want their scents to be noticed." Smart.

"What about Psycho?" Where are the pictures of her? Those I would like to see.

"She hasn't been seen by anyone yet." What? "If she is leaving the house, she must be teleporting." Interesting. "Their cousins are there often. That's all I've got so far."

"I haven't been able to find out a lot." I pulled out the file I had started "You're right about them being twins. They are around 150 years old. Their father Corbett was murdered with his human wife when the twins were young. Their grandfather Finton was killed during battle in the 60's. Not much is known about her powers, just that they are strong. She acts as an assassin for Niall. She is incredibly loyal to the prick." In the Fae realm she is his fucking shadow. " Some think Niall is grooming her to succeed him on the throne. A few have taken issue with this and switched sides. Niall's nephew Breandan is leading the protest." Fucking Fairies. "What about you Pam?"

"Well, she does not prefer the fairer sex" She shakes her head at this. "I have found out that she can mask her scent. The few Vampires that have had contact with her didn't pick up her scent until she was gone. The lingering smell was a lot less potent than most half- fairy." Unusual, but good to know.

"Where is that tool Compton? Is he still in Bon Temps?" If he is that could be a problem. His shack can't be to far from them.

"I think he is in Brazil working on his program."

"If he returns to the area let me know immediately." The last thing I need is for him to try and drain the Psycho or one of the others. That could cause both sides to stop attacking each other and start attacking us. "Chow, see what else you can find. The more we know the better." He has been dismissed.

Pam and I sat in silence for a while. Each of us looking through the files we had on the fairy. I will feel a lot better when she leaves my area. The Fae bringing their battle to our realm cannot be good for us. There is too much potential for us to be sucked into their war. I am not going to my final death over a bunch of fairies. Fuck that. Pam's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Have you told the Queen about the Fairy?"

"No. I don't plan to either. The Queen will only create trouble. If it becomes an issue then I will let her know." The less the Queen is involved, the better. One psycho at a time. I started to put away the files when I notice a crackling of energy along with popping sound. Then a voice.

"So, I hear you have been checking up on me Vampire" Psycho Fairy was sitting on my desk like she fucking owns it. No one else could be that crazy.

**Let me know what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: CH owns everything SVM. Sadly, I do not.**

**A/N: **Thank you for all of the reviews and alerts to this story. I hope you all continue to enjoy it.

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**SPOV**

The weeks following Claudette's death were hard on all of us. The night she appeared to Claudine and Claude to say farewell was the most tiring. After we learned of her departure to The Summerlands, we immediately started the search for her killer. Naill gave us his blessing on our hunt. It took some convincing to get him to allow me to leave Faery. The main concern is that I will become a bigger target than I already am.

For many years Naill has been fighting against those fairies whose goal is to kill any humans with fae blood. Naill's own nephew Breandon is one of the fairies leading this battle. He and many others believe we are the reason for infertility in the fae realm. Personally I enjoy being a Fariy Hybrid. I have all of the fae powers and I am less susceptible to iron and lemons. That is a plus in my book. Oh those pesky things can still kill me, just not as easily. I refuse to meet my end from death by lemons.

We already know our enemies are responsible. It's just a matter of finding out who did the deed.

Claude has been making plans for when we find them. He can be very creative when he wants to. He has suggested we eat them. More power to him. I will not be doing that, I have a figure to maintain.

Claudette was last seen after her final show of the night at Hooligans. No one seems to have seen her after she left for the evening. I have my suspicions that Neave and Lochlan were involved. They have been spotted in the human world recently. Those two have some serious issues. I blame inbreeding. Breandon should be hunting them down. But I digress . . .

I am currently staying at The Stackhouse farm with by brother Jason. This is the house my mother grew up in. It was also our home before our parents were killed. After my parents' death we were taken to the fae world to be raised. Naill saw to the upkeep of our family home. Jason usually uses it when he comes to this realm. I have not been here for years. I prefer the fae world. It has been my home for the past 140 years. Jason on the other hand thrives off of the attention he receives from the humans here. Especially the women. He fits in the human world much better than I do. I believe it is because of his simple mind. I worry about him. He is very trusting and it doesn't take much to distract him, usually something pretty or shiny.

"Hey Sook, I'm gonna head down to Merlotte's. You in?"

"No thanks, Jas. Claudine will be here soon. We have some things to go over." Every night he asks me to come with him. I wouldn't mind going, but I rather not have people know I'm here yet. Word travels fast around these parts. The last time I went out with Jason, there was an unfortunate incident with a Weretiger. I shudder at the memory.

"Alright, if you change your mind just give me a call." A cell phone was one of my new toys.

They weren't this advanced the last time I came here. I got what they are calling an iPhone "You know how to work that phone you got? They can be a bit tricky." He scratches his head.

"Don't worry. I can handle it. You go have some fun for both of us." He leans over and kisses my forehead and tells me goodnight before he leaves. I really do love my brother. If he didn't constantly tell people that he is three minutes older, one would not guess we are twins. We are not identical and our personalities are completely different. Although no one can doubt the bond we share.

Claudine shows up with Claude about an hour later. We sit in the living room and go over some of the leads we have. So far it is not much. Claude thinks they had outside help. It makes sense, Claudette would have fled if she noticed an enemy fairy nearby. If it was another type of Supe or a human, she wouldn't have known she was in danger until it was too late.

"I think I should try reading the humans again. This time focus on who else was around that night." I think this is our best bet. I have read some of the humans at the club, but all of their memories show her in perfect condition and a pleasant mood. My telepathy is our best advantage in this situation. It is not a fae trait, Naill believes it comes from my mother's side. We don't know what she had in her family, only that it was something other. This could also be why Jason and I have a less distinctive scent than other half fairies. Something is diluting it. Another plus.

"I think that is our best option right now." Claudine agrees. "They could have seen who we are looking for without even realizing it."

"Now Cousin, we have some other matters to discuss" Claude stretches out on the sofa as he says this.

"And what would these other matters be?" I ask. You never know with him.

"Vampires" He says as if it explains everything. To him it probably does.

"What about them?" I could care less about them. They stay out of my way and I stay out of theirs. End of story.

"They have been asking questions about you." Claudine tells me. What? "They are doing it quietly, but not enough for us not to find out." This could put a cramp in my style.

"Who is it? What do they want to know?" If they are not an immediate threat, we may be able to use them. Hmm.

"The one that has been lurking around the club is named Chow. He is one of the Northman's lackeys." Ah yes Sheriff Eric Northman. I have heard much about him. He is very well known in the Supe community. He owns some cliche vampire bar not far from here. They say he is incredibly arrogant, but has every right to be. Naill knows him personally, he respects him a great deal even if he is a vampire. That doesn't mean he likes him though.

"I don't see why he would be snooping." I rub my temples. I really don't need any problems with vampires. Naill would not be happy. I have spin this in my favor. "Does he mean to do me harm?" I snap my head up when I hear Claude snickering.

"Cousin, you seem to have quite the reputation around here." What kind of reputation? "You even have a nickname" Now he is laughing at me! What the hell! So I guess the vampire doesn't want to drain me yet. Good. Claude would not be laughing if that was the case.

"What is this nickname?" Do I really want to know? It most likely something along the lines of Tasty Cake or Snack Pack.

"The Northman has been calling you Psycho!" Yes, laugh it up you traitor! "They think you are mentally unstable and that you kill for fun" I'm glad this is amusing him so much.

"I am perfectly sane!" I stand and begin to pace. I don't mind if I am feared, but I am not crazy! I don't go around killing for shits and giggles. I always have just reason. Well usually. I am positive Northman has a much higher death count. I can't imagine how many humans he has drained in his time alone. The crazy old bat.

"That's exactly what every crazy person says" Claude stage whispers to Claudine. "They're always the last to know." He shakes his head sadly. She giggles. Ha Ha. I glare at them. I need to speak to the vampire. It is not a good time for him to be playing Nancy Drew. I snap my fingers to change out of my house clothes and into something more fairy princess appropriate. Claude stops laughing and narrows his eyes when he notices my gown and tiara. He knows I am up to something. I usually dress more casual.

"Where are you going?" I roll my eyes at him.

"Where do you think? I have a play date with a Viking of course." Duh

"Do you think that is wise? We cannot go with you. It may not be safe." Like I didn't know that. They don't have the ability to mask their scent. It would be too dangerous for them.

"Let her have some fun. She has been too serious all week." That is why I love Claudine. She loves a good game. "She is capable of taking care of herself."

"I'll be careful. I don't plan on starting any trouble. I will be on my best behavior" I give him an innocent smile before I pop myself out.

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I arrive in the back parking area of the vampire bar. I take a few minutes to collect myself. I check to make sure my silver daggers are strapped to my thighs. The slits on my dress are just the right height to conceal my weapons but still allow quick access. I am always prepared. I do a quick scan of the building. The human minds point me right to the Northman. He is in his office with who I am guessing is his progeny. Now how should I make my entrance? I decide to surprise him. I teleport myself right into his office and perch myself on the edge of his desk.

"So, I hear you have been checking up on me Vampire" I figure it is better for me to begin our talk before he attacks. This dress is one of my favorites, and vamp blood is a bitch to get out.

"You dare to come into my office uninvited." He snarls at me. Huh. No one mentioned he had an attitude problem. We'll have to work on that.

"That is no way to speak to a guest Viking." I scold him "Really, where are your manners! To think I got all dressed up just to meet you." I throw a pout in there just for kicks.

"That is a very beautiful dress you have there" This from the blonde female vampire sitting on the sofa. "I am Pam" I look at her but I can still see Northman in my peripheral. He does not look happy.

"Well thank you Pam." I give her my best smile "I think this color really brings out my eyes. Don't you agree?" I bat my eyes at her for good measure. I think I will like her. I turn my attention back to the moody one.

"I am Princess Sookie Brigant. You may call me Sookie." He growls at me and bares his fangs. I show him my own razor sharp teeth and curl my fingers to look like claws "Grrr" I snicker to myself. "I mean you no harm Vampire. Forgive my intrusion. I am just here to talk." I'm not sure how much more it will take to make him snap. I rather not push it yet. He relaxes slightly. That's better.

"I am Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area Five. You may call me Sheriff." Not happening. "What is it you would like to discuss?" He really is quite attractive. The rumors do not do him justice. He has long blonde hair and blue eyes. I can tell he has a fantastic body. I wonder how tall he is. Too bad he is a vampire. We could have had fun.

"I'm just wondering why you are investigating me. I see no reasons for it." He seems more at ease now that I am getting to the point of my visit.

"I like to know what is going on in my area." He sits back in his chair "If you are planning on causing any problems, I have a right to know." I can't argue with that. He obviously takes his position seriously and is well informed. He will be a useful ally.

"Eric, I have no intentions on causing any issues for you. My reasons for being here have nothing to do with vampires." Unless one of them helped kill Claudette. If that is the case, I will take great joy in torturing them. Slowly. He doesn't need to know that.

"What are your reasons?" Like he doesn't know already. "I was under the impression you were on some kind of Fairy realm arrest." Oh he has jokes! "Did you get released for good behavior?" I will play along. At least he took the stick out of his ass. For now.

"Is he always this witty, or am I just special?" I ask Pam. She was beginning to look bored.

"He can be quite funny" she smirks at him "when he is not being moody" I was right, I do like her.

"Pamela, don't you have other business to attend to?" He gives her a pointed look. He is dismissing her. She stands and gives him a slight nod of her head.

"Yes Master" She turns to me and licks her lips. "Goodbye Princess, I hope to see you again very soon." Did she just purr? She leaves before I can respond. I move to an empty chair and take a seat. Not to talk business.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Charlaine Harris owns everything S.V.M. **

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**EPOV**

I am not sure what to make of the fairy sitting across from me. Who in their right fucking mind would sneak up on a 1000 year old vampire. She is very lucky I didn't attack her immediately. She is amusing. I will give her that. Shit, I couldn't decide if I wanted to choke her or chuckle at her during her little game. She is sitting comfortably without a hint of fear. Normally fairies are quite skittish in the presence of my kind. Can't say I blame them.

She has to be one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Thick wavy blonde hair falls well past her waist. Her eyes are a very vivid sky blue. She does not look like your typical fairy, her ears are less pointed and her skin isn't as translucent. She is a remarkable creature. I can only imagine how delicious her blood is. My pants tighten just thinking about it. It is a shame I would most likely drain her before I had a chance to really enjoy her.

"Let us not play games Eric" she says "You know why I am in you area. I'm sure you're aware of my cousin's death. I assure you my only goal is to hunt down those involved." She looks me directly in the eyes. "Surely you can find no issue with that." I can understand her desire for vengeance.

"My only thought is for the safety of the vampires in my retinue." I tell her honestly. "What is the true reason for your visit? I highly doubt you came here just to reassure me of your intentions." I quirk a brow at her. I have my suspicions but I would like to hear her say it.

"I would like to make a deal." I thought so "You scratch my back, I scratch yours." That sounds promising. I smirk at her

"Will this back scratching be clothing optional?" I waggle my eyebrows

"Um no. It is just an expression." She shakes her head "Are you interested or not?" In you, yes.

"I am most definitely interested, but I do not think you could handle me." Her heart rate increases and she shifts in her seat. Interesting. I lean forward and rest my arms on my desk. "Now, back to this deal. I have a very good idea of what is in it for you, but what do I get?" I have already decided to help her. How much help I give her depends on what is in it for me.

"What is it that you think I want?"

"Information" I simply say. We both know this is true.

"What is it that you want in return?" Now we are getting somewhere. "If it is something within my power to give, we will go from there."

"I want a Fairy" I sit back and watch as her body tenses.

"NO!" she growls menacingly "Out of the question!" I thought so. I would have been highly disappointed if she agreed. If she was willing to offer up her own kind so easily, there is no doubt she would betray me just as quickly.

"I thought as much." I shrug "I was just putting it out there." She takes a few calming breaths. "I'm sure we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement. I can be very reasonable."

"In return for your services, I will offer mine." I like where this is going. I lick my lips. "Not those type of services." Damn. "I have a unique talent that could be useful to you. Again, not that kind of talent." She rolls her eyes

"What is this talent?" Niall keeps her abilities quiet. No one is sure of what they are.

"I would like your word that what I tell doesn't leave this room." I agree "I have the gift of Telepathy" I narrow my eyes at her "Before you ask, I can't read Vampires." This can be very beneficial for me.

"Is it limited to humans?" She explains how it works. The break down is Humans are clear, Weres are hazy, Fairies are almost impossible to read and Vampires are complete blanks. I can see why they have kept this under wraps, she would be in great danger if it became common knowledge. Psycho or not, she will be useful to have around.

"Do we have a deal? I offer you the use of my abilities within reason in exchange for your help tracking down my dear cousin's killer." It is clear why Niall favors her. He would be a fool not to. She is truly a phenomenal asset to have. I accept her offer.

She shows off by informing me of two minors in my bar. I text Pam instructions to escort them out. We lay down some ground rules. I inform her that I will not risk myself or my child nor will I get involved in the fae war. She understands and says the same goes for herself and her kin. She fills me in on the information she and her cousins have gathered. I agree with Claude's theory of a third party. Weres are the likely suspects. Either Pam or I will look into this. I don't plan on bringing in anyone else. I have one other condition for her.

"My child Pam should have full disclosure. She will tell no one of your ability." Pam may be a pain in my ass but she has my complete trust. Sookie as she is demanding I call her, agrees immediately.

We slip into casual conversation. I find myself enjoying her company. That does not happen often for me. It is easy to see that she does not spend much time in this realm. Jason has been getting her caught up in recent pop culture. Her cousins are in charge of fashion and technology. Unfortunately she too has a penchant for advice columns. Pam will be thrilled.

"I think it is time for me to take my leave." She stands and stretches that glorious body of hers. "I have a feeling we will work well together. You will be hearing from me soon." I look forward to it. Without a thought I am on my feet and take hold of her hand. She stares wide eyed as I bring it to my mouth for a gentle kiss. There is no scent, but I can taste the sweetness of her skin. My fangs run out.

"Goodnight Sookie" I say huskily. She pulls back her hand and quickly pops out of my office. Her fairy scent is noticeable now. I inhale deeply. Intoxicating. It is not nearly as strong as I thought it would be. Bedding her has just become a real possibility.

I am in the middle of planning the seduction of my crazy little fairy when Pam enters my office. She sits on the sofa and takes in my expression.

"Does whatever you're planning involve a certain luscious fairy?" She knows me too well.

"I have decided she will be my lover." I wave my hand in a dismissive gesture. "We have much to discuss. I have made an arrangement with the fairy." I provide her with the details of our deal as well as Claudette's murder. Pam sees the potential of Sookie's telepathy right away. She also agrees that we should tell no one. We sit in silence for a few minutes. Pam is the first to speak.

"What the fuck, Eric" She huffs "We don't know where or how she was killed. All we know for sure is that the fairy is dead." She throws her hands up "This will be a piece of pie!"

"It is a challenge, but you enjoy a good hunt." I tell her "We will focus on the Weres in the area, find out if any have gone missing or are acting suspicious. The fairies will take care of the humans for now. Claudette had a human lover she recently dismissed. Sookie wants to question him again." Pam perks up at this

"We are referring to her as Sookie now? No more Psycho? Hmm" She smirks at me. Shit. Of course she has picked up on that.

"Part of our deal" I say nonchalantly. No need to encourage to her. "Apparently, she is not fond of that particular pet name."

"Right. I am sure that is the only reason." She rolls her eyes "It has nothing to do with the fact that you are interested in her."

"Pam, I have already told you I wish to fuck her." That's all

"No, it is more than that. You could have any bed mate you want." This is true. "You do not need to go playing Magnum P.I." I scoff. I am much more attractive.

"Her talents are invaluable. It is wise to placate her." Shit. I sound defensive.

"You decided to help her before you knew of her _talents._" How the hell does she know that?

"This discussion is over Pamela." I hiss at her. I turn my attention to some invoices that need to be taken care of. I have made the mistake of letting her bait me. Fuck.

"Oh, this is priceless!" She cackles "You are smitten with the fairy!" She looks absolutely giddy. This will bring her hours of entertainment. I cringe inwardly at the thought.

I ignore her as she laughs mechanically. My child takes great joy in others misfortunes. I refuse to give her the satisfaction.

"I love it!" She claps gleefully "You are so screwed!"

Fuck Me


	4. Chapter 4

**You all know the deal. Charlaine Harris owns everything S.V.M. **

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**SPOV**

It has been two days since my hasty exit from Eric's office. My cousin's are wary of his involvement, more so when I told them what he is getting out of it. Claude does not trust him, he thinks Eric will either double cross me or drain me. Whichever comes first. I can tell Claudine shares his worry. Their aversion for vampires is not allowing them to see logic. The fact is that other supes do not like to deal with us for some reason. They are drawn to us, but they do not trust us. Whether they want to admit it or not, we need Eric.

Jason has not had much to say on the matter. Even if he doesn't approve, he trusts my judgement

That is the good thing about Jason, he goes with the flow. It also helps that his main concern is himself and loses interest quickly. I am trying to limit his involvement in this as much as I can. He is blissfully ignorant when it comes to how unbelievably twisted Supes can be. I would like to keep it that way.

I'm not sure he understands how deadly I am.

I have gone to great measures to keep Jason from learning certain things about me. He knows that I am extremely close with Niall, that I am next in line to rule. This has been known for years. Niall says it is my destiny, he has been grooming me to lead for as long as I can remember. I am also his best assassin, if someone is a threat to our family I eliminate them. My family's safety is my top priority. I would do anything for them. Jason is not blind. He knows I have killed, just not how often or viciously. To him I am just Sookie.

I can't lose that.

Last night Claude collected the humans we needed from his club and brought them to his house. A more private setting. I was only interested in the employees who were likely to have seen someone suspicious. The scene that greeted me when I arrived at the house was amusing. Claudine had her sister's scorned lover tied to a chair in the dining room. He looked terrified. Pathetic. Claude had been a busy boy stashing the remaining four guests in various places around the house while they waited their turn. My favorite of these places was the kitchen pantry.

The night turned out to be very productive. We now had someone to hunt. Three of our little friends had a very clear picture of a scraggly girl watching Claudette closely throughout the night. I projected what I was seeing to Claude and Claudine. The girl had an athletic build, light brown hair, hazel eyes and hard features. She was average at best. If I had not been searching their memories so throughly I would have easily overlooked her. I observed her through their minds, she was fidgety but wore a determined expression. She left the club quietly around 11:00 p.m., less than a half hour before Claudette.

When I finished reading their minds, Claudine replaced the memories of their visit with those of a boring staff meeting and sent them on their way. We have our own form of glamour. We may not be able to completely control a person's mind but we can change their memories and influence them to a point with simple incantations. No need for that creepy _'look into my eyes' _thing the vampires use.

Today Claude has the very exciting task of viewing Hooligan's surveillance tapes. I am hoping to have a few pictures of the girl to give to Eric.

Jason comes into the kitchen as I am preparing breakfast. I swear he can smell food a mile away. He makes himself a cup of coffee and takes a seat at the table. I ask him about his night and he launches into his tale of backwoods debauchery. I stop him when he begins to give an explicit report of the waitresses' _skills_. I am thankful I've had over a century to build up my mental shields. That is one visual I rather not have. I shudder at the thought. Gross.

"Sam was asking about you, wanted to know if you were here yet." Ugh. The Shifter. "He might stop by for a visit." Oh hell

I serve us each a plate of food and join him at the table.

"Damn. What did you tell him?" I have been successfully dodging him for the last decade.

"Don't worry. I told him you were real busy. Barely ever around." I don't think that will keep him away. He's persistent.

'You would think he'd give up already." I'd say after twelve years of rejection, it's time to move on.

"Shit, Sook. Just give the guy a chance." He says between mouthfuls. "He's a good guy. You're just too damn picky. It ain't like he'd be around forever" Easy for him to say

"I have standards." I shrug "Since we are speaking of unrequited love, maybe I should have Caitlin come stay with us. Her tracking skills could be very helpful." I have to suppress the need to laugh as I say this

"Don't you do it!" he yells "You know she's crazy. Bunny boiling crazy!" He actually looks scared.

Caitlin is a full fairy who has a very unhealthy obsession with Jason. She has been after him for the last seventy years. She almost had him in the early 1990's when she offered to be Jason's baby mama. Niall was seriously considering the idea until I pointed out that between her special brand of crazy and Jason's simple mind the child would be less than desirable. i believe Claude used the term 'Window Licker'.

"Relax Jason" I tell him "I wouldn't do that to you." He doesn't look convinced. 'I just wanted to remind you of how unwanted advances feel."

"Yeah, well it ain't the same. Sam doesn't have the centuries to stalk you." He grumbles. "Shit. Now I'm gonna be all jumpy for days. Thanks." He leaves the kitchen mumbling something about the nightmares returning. Now I feel bad.

I spend the rest of the morning laying out in the garden. As I relax in the sun, I make a mental list of the information and theories I have about Claudette's murder.

Claudette was last seen alive and well leaving the club a little before 11:30 p.m.

She didn't return to their home. Claudine was there all night.

Her spirit form appeared to Claude and Claudine at 2:30 a.m.

Breandon or his cronies planned it. Had someone else do their dirty work.

There was a suspicious looking girl hanging around the club.

It is not much, but it's all we have so far. My instincts are telling me this mystery girl is who we want. The twenty minutes or so in between her exit and Claudette's would have given her plenty of time to set a trap. It would have been too risky to kill her in the open. She had to have captured her and taken her somewhere, in order to do that, she had to have prevented her from teleporting. She was well informed on our weaknesses. She probably had some type of iron laced restraints.

I will take great pleasure in killing her very slowly.

* * *

Claude called around dinner time to let me know he was on his way over. He had pictures of the girl. Claudine would come after she was done work.

"Cousin" I spun around to face him.

"Damn it Claude! Do not sneak up on me like that!" He sat on the sofa and put his feet on the coffee table.

"I told you I was on my way." I should have known he meant it literally.

"Come. I need to make dinner." I tell him as I make my way into the kitchen. "Where are the pictures?" He follows me and places an envelope on the table.

"I think I should start mandatory eye exams. She is even less attractive than she was in their minds." He snorts at this.

I take out the pictures and look through them. I have to agree with him. The humans must have bad eye sight.

"We will have Jason look at them, he may know who she is." Jason knows many women.

"I would not count on it. Jason is beautiful, as are we." I don't see what that has to do with anything.

"And?" He gives me a disbelieving look.

"We do not pay any mind to the ugly." Oh right. How silly of me

"Of course. I must have forgotten."

"It is alright." He has forgiven me. Thank goodness

Jason joins us for dinner. I show him the photos and Claude is right, Jason has never seen her before.

When Claudine arrives she is not surprised by the girl's appearance. She tells us she was expecting it. She is much more in touch with humans. She works in customer service.

After Jason leaves for the night, we begin to plan our search for the girl. I tell them I will go to Fangtasia to show Eric the pictures. Claude does not feel comfortable with this, he suggests that I have Eric come to us. Safety in numbers and what not, and the magical barrier that prevents him from entering the house.

"He can't drain us if he can't reach us." Claudine says in her sing song voice.

"I don't think Eric would harm me." I can't explain it, but I feel safe around him. The both look at me like I have gone crazy. Maybe I have.

"What about the other Vampires? Can you say the same for them?" Claude says smugly "Masking your scent is no guarantee of your safety." Damn. He has a point.

"Fine. I will ask Eric to come here." There is no need to argue. It is two to one.

I leave them in the kitchen while I call Eric. I do not need them listening in. Once I am in my bedroom I dial. He answers on the second ring.

_"Do you miss me already, Princess?" _

"Hello Eric. I hope this is not a bad time." I ignore his question.

_"It will always be a good time for you." _I bet _"What can I do for you this evening?"_

"I have some photos I would like you to look at. We think we have found Claudette's attacker."

_"You are hoping I can identify this person."_

"Yes"

_"That is fine. When can I expect_ _you?"_ Here goes nothing.

"Actually it would be easier if you came here. My cousins wish to be present and it is impossible for them to be near your bar." That sounds reasonable

_"As you wish"_ That was too easy. Too easy."_Pam and I will be there within the hour."_

"Thank You. Goodbye Eric."

_"Oh Princess . . . You owe me." _Click.

Shit


	5. Chapter 5

**EPOV**

After I ended my call with Sookie, I leaned back in my chair and kicked my feet up on the desk. I am feeling good. Not only has my little fairy called, she is also in my debt. I will have to think of a suitable way for her to repay me. Something simple. I do not wish to scare her away. Yet

Last night I spoke with Alcide Herveaux, the local packmaster. My discrete inquires of his pack went unsuspected. He is used to me calling and checking up on him, I like to remind him that I own his father every now and then. Unfortunately nothing is amiss on his end. I was hoping to have some news for Sookie. I have been resisting the urge to contact her, someone has been dropping hints that it would make me look clingy. By someone, I mean Pam.

She says I should play hard to get.

Does agreeing to go to Bon Temps to look at pictures make me easy?

No, I don't think it does.

Before I can know the pleasures of her body, I will have to indulge her somewhat. If traveling to the sticks is what I need to do, then so be it. She will not be easily conquered, I will have to be on my best behavior. It is a good thing I've already taken care of my needs for the night. I doubt she would appreciate it if I bit her or rubbed myself all over her. Fuck. That would not go over well.

I should feed again before I leave.

No fucking this time.

I don't want to show up smelling of fanbanger.

I call Pam into my office and tell her our plans for the night. Chow will be left in charge of the bar in while we are gone. Pam is very entertained by my decision to yield to Sookie's request.

"You really showed her who is in charge." She grins at me "What happened to letting her come to you?" I don't reply to that.

"Send me a donor."She nods "And make sure you feed as well. Her cousins will be there. You will need to be in control. Be ready to leave in thirty minutes."

"Yes Master" Good girl.

I make a quick meal of the blood bag Pam has sent to me. The girl is glamoured and sent on her way within five minutes. Next up is a session of self loving, Damn Fairy.

Pam is waiting for me in the hall when I leave my office. I'm glad to see that she has listened and feed well. She looks me over with a raised brow and takes in my scent. Shit.

"You did not play with your food." I ignore her as I make my way to the employee exit. I can feel her amusement as she follows. "I take it you played with yourself then?" Again, I stay silent. "If this is going to be a regular occurrence, I would recommend picking up a few essentials after our meeting. You will need reading material, kleenex and lubricant to start."

"Isn't there a 'Dear Abby' article on respecting your elders?" I ask when we reach the parking lot. I have no one to blame but myself for her insolence. Perhaps I should have been more strict with her. I wonder if this is what the older humans are referring to when the bitch about the youth of today.

"Not that I can recall." She says as I pick her up and take to the sky.

Flying to Bon Temps takes me no time at all. Pam has been quiet since I threatened to drop her. She would survive the fall, but it would hurt like hell. It is an empty threat, we both know I would never do it. No matter how much she irritates me at times, I could not bring myself to cause her pain.

I land in the front yard of Sookie's house and take in my surroundings. It is a large home that has been very well kept. Not that I expected it to be anything less. Fairies usually have high standards when it comes to their surroundings.

"The house is lovely, but the area is dreadful." Pam looks around in distaste. "I do not understand why one would choose to live here."

"This is not their permanent residence." I remind her.

"I would hope not. This place is a D list horror film waiting to happen."

We walk up to the porch and I knock on the door. Sookie answers immediately. They must have heard us arrive. She is dressed differently tonight, wearing jeans and a blouse. Much more appealing than her princess getup.

"Good evening Princess" I smile at her. "You are looking well."

"Eric, Pam. Thank you for coming on such short notice." She smiles back. "These are my cousins Claude and Claudine Crane." She waves her hand at two fairies who are standing in the living room. They are keeping their distance. Smart. I look them over, naturally they are extremely beautiful. It is obvious that they are twins, the only real differences between them is the length of their hair and his Adam's apple. I nod my head in greeting.

"A _pleasure_" Pam smirks at them and licks her lips. They do not look pleased.

"Keep your fangs to yourself Vampire." The female Claudine warns as she takes several steps back.

"Okay. Let's get down to business." Sookie turns to Claudine "Can you please bring me the photos form the kitchen?" The fairy leaves the room without a word.

"Are you not going to invite us in?" I ask her. I know she will not, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Claude snorts before he answers for her.

"Do we look like we have a death wish?" He doesn't wait for a response. "You can stay out there."

I don't like him.

"Enough Cousin"

Claudine returns with an envelope but does not come near the foyer. She holds out her hand and the envelope disappears from her hand and appears in Sookie's. Why she didn't do that in the first place I have no idea. Fairies make no fucking sense sometimes.

"Ah, here we are." Sookie pulls out the pictures and hands them to me. "These were taken from the surveillance cameras that are positioned throughout Hooligan's. The girl pictured is who we are looking for." She is all business tonight.

I take a few moments to study the pictures. The girl isn't familiar to me. I am curious to know what she did to make them suspect her. The girl looks like nothing more than a common hick. Then again, looks can be deceiving.

"I do not know her." I tell them. "What brought her to your attention?"

"She was watching Claudette." Thank you, Claude. That explains it all.

Fucking Fairies.

"She was a stripper." Pam deadpanned.

"Exotic Dancer." Claudine corrects proudly. Both Sookie and Claude nod in agreement.

I hand the pictures to Pam in an attempt to distract her from commenting on that. The smart ass reply is on the tip of her tongue. I can feel it. Pam only glances at the pictures before she speaks.

"She is not in the vault." She taps her temple. I guessed as much.

Sookie remains quiet, no doubt planning her next steps. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head. Her cousins are wearing thoughtful expressions. If I wasn't paying attention so closely, I would have never noticed the slight nods they gave her.

What. The. Fuck.

Sneaky Fuckers!

Pam turns to give me a questioning look. She has also caught onto their silent conversation. It seems Sookie has been holding out on me. What else can she do?

When the Fairies are done with their meeting of the minds, Sookie turns her attention back to me.

"We will show the pictures to the Shifter. He may know the girl. Perhaps they visit the same vet." She has a low opinion of the shifter. This is good.

"What makes you so sure she is Were?" I don't see why Pam is bothering to ask. Their answers only make sense to them.

"You have seen her." Claude shrugs "She is not Fae."

The mind games have begun.

They do this shit on purpose.

"She could be human."

Give it up Pam. You will not win.

"She is not human. She scratched her head several times."

What the hell is talking about?

"What?" I look at my child, she looks just as lost as I am.

"Fleas" He answers slowly.

Of course! I should have known.

I'm glad we cleared that up.

Crazy Fucking Fairies

Just as I am ready to end this foolishness, Sookie catches my eye and gives me a brilliant smile. I can't help but smile back. Now is the perfect time to remind her that she owes me.

"Thank you for coming Eric. I will be in contact." She turns to Pam."Pam, it was good to see you again. Good night"

She closed the door.

What the fuck just happened?

"What the fuck just happened?"

"I believe you have been dismissed, _Master_." Pam snickers


	6. Chapter 6

**SPOV**

I am not having a good day.

Not at all.

What started out as a lovely day, had quickly gone south. I woke up in high spirts, showing a thousand year vampire who is boss does wonders for one's sleep. The look on Eric's face when I dismissed him was priceless. I don't recall ever seeing a Vampire look so confused. I would say I felt bad over the little head games we played, but I'd be lying.

That was hilarious!

I was positively giddy.

My amusement helped wash away the small amount of annoyance I felt for Claude. Following my call with Eric, I quickly figured out Claude's real intentions for requesting the vampires come to us. I was upset with him at first. I do not like being played. It is not something that happens often. I may have thrown a frying pan at him. Thankfully Claudine was able to calm me enough to listen to his reasoning. He explained that he felt it was important for us to establish our control. Even if it was a small gesture. Like say... having some Vampires come to a podunk town to look at pictures. I could not argue with that. Eric cannot be left to believe he holds any power over me. As Claude pointed out, I am the heiress to the Fae throne for fucks sake. Far more superior to any Vampire Sheriff. It doesn't matter how attractive he is . . .

Or how much I want to lick every inch of him.

And do other _very_ bad things with him

Wonderfully naughty things.

As I said, none of that matters. He is Vampire. And I have gotten off track.

Back to my crappy day.

After a short breakfast with Jason, I went out to enjoy the morning sun. My plan was to work on my tan and maybe catch up on some reading. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. One hour of sunbathing and three chapters of my book is where my good mood ended. My peaceful day was ruined by an incredibly stupid water fairy by the name of Murry. His pathetic attempt on my life did not end well for him. Breandan will be very upset when he learns that I have ended one of his most loyal followers. It is his own fault for sending Murry on a suicide mission. He had to know what would happen.

He could have atleast had the courtesy to send a clean up crew.

Fairy dust is a bitch to get rid of.

I had just finished cleaning the mess Murry left behind when my great-uncle Dillion arrived to assure my safety. That was an unpleasant visit. I am glad it was short.

Murry was better company.

Dillion and I have a very strained relationship. He resents the fact that I am Niall's favorite. I think he is a jerk. Dr. Phil would love us. I would never admit it to anyone but I do have a great deal of sympathy for Dillion.

He is Niall's oldest son from his first wife Branna. He should be the heir to the throne, but Niall is ruled by his emotions. Since Niall's first marriage was one of convenience, he had little attachment to her or Dillion. It was his second wife Enin was who captured his heart, their sons held his favor and so the older twin Finton was named as the rightful heir.

The line of succession became unclear after my grandfather Finton's death. My father Corbett was dead, and Finton's twin Dermot had betrayed Niall by joining Breandan. I believe Dillion thought he was going to reclaim his title. He was not pleased when Niall chose me, a half fairy and a female to be his successor. Niall said I was meant to rule, Fintan's death only progressed things more quickly.

Dillion's loyalty to Niall and our family left him no choice but to accept this decision. That doesn't mean he likes it or me. He blames me for the most ridiculous things. When his children decided to abandon their Gaelic names for more modern ones, my influence was apparently the cause. The fact that Claudine's previous name sounded like a cat choking up a hairball had nothing to do with it.

That is a story for another day.

Moving on

I feel I should mention that I am now the proud owner of a very uneven tan.

That is most distressing

All of this drama happened before lunch.

A long hot shower and a well deserved nap were in order.

* * *

It finally emerged from my bedroom around dinner time. I was not surprised to find Claudine in my living room watching T.V. I knew she would be here. I join her on the couch and pull a blanket over me.

"Let me guess. Niall has ordered you to stay with me at all times?"

"Actually it was our father who suggested it."

"Really? Does he not think I can take care of myself?" Wow, that sounded bitter.

"Precious, you know that is not the case." She scolds me. "Despite you issues with each other, he loves you dearly. This is just a precaution. Your safety is crucial to all of us."

"I know Cousin. I am just in a foul mood today."

Those pesky assassination attempts tend to do that.

"Where is Jason? I have not seen him since breakfast." I change the subject.

"He and Claude are out getting dinner. They will return soon." Great.

I am not sure if I should be relieved or worried about those two being out together. I feel better knowing Jason is not alone but there is no telling what kind of trouble they can cause. It is bad enough Jason has the occasional pissed of boyfriend looking for him, I do not need Claude being bitch slapped for sealing someone's man. Who knows, they may not even come home with any food. If they come back tonight. My face must have shown my worry.

"Relax Sookie. They are big boys."

"It is not only them I am worried about."

It is anyone who catches their eye. Poor fools.

"All will be fine." She says. "We need to discuss the Vampire. He noticed us communicating telepathically last night." She sits up straight and looks directly at me.

"I am not worried. It is none of his concern."

"He looked very concerned last night. You need to be careful." She warns.

Eric did look suspicious when he figured it out. I did not lie to him when I said I couldn't read fairy minds. I just left out that little perk to my telepathy. It is really nothing more than projecting thoughts to one another. It only works with those that are my blood anyway. The only time I can read their thoughts are if they think directly to me. Jason is a different story. I can always read him. The human blood along with our twin bond plays a big part in that.

"I will explain it to him if need be. I can handle him." Eric will not be a problem.

"Fine. We have more pressing matters anyway. Breandan should know of Murry's passing by now." I bet he is pissed. "He will retaliate. That target on your back has just become much bigger."Of course it has. "My Father thinks we should put our hunt for the girl on hold for the time being. We can continue when things settle down."

"Do you agree with Dillion? Our hunt is the main reason I came here."

"The delay will not be permanent. She will still be found and killed." She shrugs. "She is being gifted with a greater head start. No big deal."

"I will still have Jason show the pictures to the Shifter. There is no harm in that. We only want a name. I am tired of referring to her as 'the girl' or 'the hick' as Claude calls her."

"Pity, I enjoy Claude's names for her." She pouts. "Although I am disappointed that the Vampire wasted our time."

"We cannot fault Eric for his lack of knowledge." I tell her as I stand and start for the kitchen. This conversation will only aggravate me further. I am in no mood for the anti vamp speech. I have heard it many times.

"Why do you defend him?" She calls after me.

"Whom do you defend Child?" I tense slightly at the strain in Niall's voice. Something has happened. I spin around to take in his appearance. His normally impeccable suit is torn and dirty, his hair is disheveled. He looks like hell. Niall has not come alone, with him are two of his guards, Galvin and Torin. Their own solemn faces and bloody clothing are not reassuring.

"It matters not, My Lord." I reply as I rush to Niall and take his hands. "What news do you bring?"

He kisses my forehead and stares at me with sad eyes. Claudine has entered the room and immediately takes on a worried expression.

"Breandan has caught Enda. She is dead." My eyes flood with tears, and I let them fall freely. I glance at Claudine as she too weeps openly.

Enda was a full fairy and a very dear friend to me. I have known her since I moved to Faery. We have been through much together in the last 140 years. She had recently announced that she was with child. Breandan has not only retaliated, but he has committed the most heinous of crimes.

I take a few deep breaths as I let my grief be replaced by rage.

"What of Breandan?" I seethe quietly.

Perhaps I will feed him to Eric.

He did ask for a fairy.

"He still lives." Not for long. "You are to return to Faery. It is much too dangerous here. You need to be protected."

"I will go, but do not expect me to go into hiding. I am joining the battle." It is where I belong.

"NO! I will not put you in jeopardy. You are to remain in the palace with your guards at all times." He says sternly "That is an order."

"Please, do not make me do this." I plead with him. "It is not right. You have not raised me to be a coward. I am one of your best fighters. You know this!"

"Now is not the time to be stubborn." He roars at me. "You owe it to our people to stay alive! Breandan will not rest until you are dead." He softens his voice before continuing. "I could not bear to lose you. Please think about those of us who love you." He cups my cheek. "Can you really leave Jason behind? What about Preston? He is your betrothed, he would suffer greatly if you are lost."

Damn guilt trips.

Works every time!

"I will do as you wish My Lord." I sigh in defeat before turning to Claudine. "Cousin, please help me prepare my things. I will be leaving immediately" Niall smiles broadly at this.

She follows me quietly to my bedroom. We both know I do not need help packing.

But I do need a favor.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: CH owns SVM.

A/N: Sorry about the wait. My sister just had a baby this week, so I have been spending time with her and my new nephew. He is such a cutie!

* * *

**EPOV**

Nine days

Nine fucking days

I have not heard from the Fairy since 'The Great Dismissal' as Pam is now calling it. There has been no contact at all. Not even a fucking text message. This is probably one of her little games. If she expects me to seek her out, she has another thing coming. I refuse to play.

Fucking Fairies

I have better things to do.

It has been business as usual for me. I continued with my nightly routine of feeding, fucking and enthralling the vermin. There have been a few changes, nothing major. I have been losing my temper more often, and I seem to have lost interest in blonds.

Pam has been a constant annoyance lately. She tells me I need to stop being a moody bitch and deal with the fairy's obvious rejection. Apparently my behavior is scaring the fangbangers away. Pam does not know what she is talking about.

I am Eric Fucking Northman!

Women love me

I have _not_ been rejected

A few days ago I began to avoid Pam whenever possible. Her endless supply of 'Dear Abby' advice and snarky comments were driving me to a homicidal rage. Now, that would not be good for business. Unfortunately I underestimated her level of dedication. When I arrived at Fangtasia earlier, I found several books on my desk. I read a few of the titles, they appeared to be various dating manuals such as.x

'He's Just Not That Into You'

'Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE'

'How to Break Your Addiction to a Person'

'A Sassy Little Guide to Getting Over Him'

There was also a note written on pink stationary.

_Master,_

_I have taken the liberty of gathering you a few self-improvement books to help with your recent heartbreak._ _The saleswoman tells me they are very informative_ _and have made her into the independent woman she is today_._ She and her seven cats do not need a man to be happy, and it is all thanks to these books. Can you believe that? Amazing. Now, I am aware these particular titles are directed toward females but I figured since you recently developed a vagina,_ _they would be more accommodating to you. Do you see what a thoughtful child I am?_

_Pam _

I threw all of the books into the trash and thought of a suitable punishment for that little stunt. I decided that she can only wear outfits made of pleather for one week. This will be torture for her. Pam responded to this news by throwing a fax machine at me.

I added a week of spandex to her punishment.

That got her to behave.

Good. Next up was polyester.

Thankfully I had sheriff business to occupy the rest of my night. There was a nest of troublemakers in Monroe that needed to be dealt with. It did not take long to evict the trio from my area. Sadly they left quietly, I was hoping they would put up a fight. It would have made my night to send them to their final deaths.

Since I still had plenty of time before dawn approached, I did the one thing I said I wouldn't. I went to see the fairy. I was extremely grateful that Pam was not around to witness my defeat. She would never let me live that down. I planned to arrive under the guise of checking up on her hunt. That was a very logical excuse.

Oh how the mighty has fallen.

Imagine my surprise when I found the Stackhouse farm completely empty. I could detect the faintest scent of fairy. A younger vampire would have never picked up on it. The house had to be abandoned over a week ago. It appears the fairies had left shortly after my visit.

What kind of game is she playing?

* * *

I arrived at Fangtasia soon after first dark tonight. I left Chow a message before I went to rest this morning. He was to go to Hooligan's and locate Sookie's cousins. They would lead me to Sookie. I was sure of it. I needed to find out why she disappeared.

Last night left me with more questions than answers. I wasn't sure if this was her way of getting out of deal, or if she had some sort of fairy business to handle. Either way, she could have fucking informed me. It is professional courtesy!

I answered a few emails and paid bills while I waited for Chow's call. I'm sure Pam could feel my aggravation, she wisely stayed out of my office. It looks like she may be learning her lesson.

My phone rings and I glance at the screen. It is the call I have been waiting for.

It is Chow

"Speak" I answer immediately

"_Master. I am just leaving the strip club." _

"What have you found?"

"_The fairies were not there. I glamoured one of the waitresses. She informed me that neither one of them has been seen since last week. The staff was only told not to expect Mr. Crane to be in for a while, personal matters. One of the club's mangers is overseeing things in his absence."_

"That will be all Chow." I say as I disconnect the call.

So the cousins are gone too. Well, at least I know Sookie is not hiding from me. Her cousins would still be around if that were the case. So what is going on with the fairies?

I head out to the bar to sit on my throne. Ginger brings me a blood as soon as I take my place. I glance around the club. There is a good crowd tonight. Now I know Pam is full of shit, the humans look pleased to see me. Scaring away customers my ass. I growl at a few fanbangers who try to approach me. I have no plans to accept any advances. With the mood I'm in, I might end up draining someone.

I do not wish to dispose of a body tonight.

It is close to midnight when Pam informs me I have a call waiting for me. She follows me into my office and locks the door before she speaks.

"The fairy Claudine demanded to speak with you. Only you."

"Did she say what it was about?" I doubt this is a personal call.

"No, she was rather rude. She told me to be a good little vampire and fetch my Master." She sneers

I signal for her to remain quiet as I pick up the receiver.

"This is Eric"

"_This is Claudine, but you already knew that. Meet me at the house in one hour." _

"The last time I checked, I did not take orders from fairies. Tell me what this is about." I demand

"_It is not safe to speak of on the phone. Now is not the time for games Viking. Do not be late."_

She hung up on me!

Fucking Cryptic Fairies

"Do you see what I was talking about?" Pam huffs. "Someone needs to teach her some manners."

"Maybe you can get her a book to help with that." I smirk at her "Go tell Felicia she is in charge until we return."

"Oh, we are going?" She asks innocently.

"Yes, Pam. I will meet you in the parking lot."

The phone call has me concerned. Their situation must be dire if Claudine felt the need to call me. I could hear the stress in her voice. It is curious that Sookie did not contact me herself. I have a feeling this meeting will not be pleasant.

I only have to wait a few minutes for Pam. I think about taking my car, but decide against it. A shiny red corvette would draw too much attention in Bon Temps. I don't think Claudine would appreciate that, she already seems paranoid enough. Flying will get us there much faster anyway.

We arrive at Sookie's earlier than planned. As I walk up the steps, the front door swings open revealing a fucked up looking Claudine. She is covered in scratches and is limping, her clothes are ripped and her hair is matted to her head. Her scent is almost overpowering. I have to restrain myself from charging at her. Not that I could reach her anyway. Damn barrier. She is not even trying to hide her natural fairy appearance. The glow of her skin is irritating to my eyes. Did I mention the big ass sword she was carrying? Who the fuck has she been fighting?

And where is Sookie?

"Viking" Her greeting is tense

"Claudine" I nod "What the fuck is going on? Where is Sookie?"

"The war has escalated. Sookie remains in Faery under Niall's orders."

"So you have been helping Niall fight?"

"No. This" she points to her clothing and hair "is from being ambushed when I exited the portal. A few brownies and a fairy named Lee. They are nothing but bones and ash now." Impressive. "Most of my injuries happened earlier."

"What is so important that you had to come here?"

"You. I am here at Sookie's request. She needs your help" she pauses for a moment. "Sookie cannot remain in our realm any longer. Several attempts have been made on her life. We have been able to keep her safe until this morning when the palace was attacked. We managed to defend ourselves, although we lost many. Sookie was injured during the fight. She is healing, but is unable to protect herself. Now that she has killed three of Breandan's favorites, he will stop at nothing to see her dead."

"What does she think I can do to help?" I have already told her I will not involve myself in their war.

"Her original plan was to ask for a secure property that we could use as a safe house while we hunted Breandan's followers. Unfortunately Niall suspected we were planning something and confined us all to the palace."

I'm not sure I like where this is going.

"And now?" I prompt

"Now she wishes to be placed under your protection. It is her best chance at surviving."

It was a very smart move on her part. The last place anyone would suspect her to be is with vampires. She would be hiding in plain sight almost. I have to think about this. I really do not wish to be involved but Sookie would owe me her life. Hmm. Decisions. Decisions.

"Where is Niall, does he know of this plan?" I'm not sure this is something he would agree to.

"Niall searches for Breandan as we speak. We have his consent. He will compensate you greatly for your assistance. We will tell no one of your involvement. I am also to tell you that you may have any enemy fairy who tries to harm Sookie while she is in your care. Except for Breandan, his life is ours. So what say you Viking? Do you accept?"

I would be a fool to turn them down. I could care less about the money. I have plenty of that. What I do not have is the opportunity to capture fairies without consequence. That is too good an offer to pass up. I turn to Pam to see what she makes of this. She has been unusually quiet during our talk. I immediately know why, it is taking a great deal of effort for her to remain in control. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to set the house on fire in an attempt to force the fairy out. I need to wrap this up quickly.

"There is one flaw in this plan. I will protect her at night but who will guard her while I am in my daytime rest?"

"I will stay with her during the day. We must be careful of who knows her location. Are you able to receive her tonight? The sooner she is out of Feary the better."

"Yes, There is still a couple of hours before dawn. I have several safe houses in the area. Any one of them will do." I tell her. My personal home is not an option. The fairies do not need to know where that is.

A paper and pen appear in her hand. She drops them onto the porch.

"Write the address on that, do not speak it out loud" She instructs me.

I quickly decide on a house and scribble the address. I show the paper to Pam before giving it to the fairy. Claudine studies it for a second before she eats it. That could not have tasted good

"Go quickly. I will deliver her as soon as I can. Be warned that we will not arrive alone. Please remember to control yourselves." She disappears

"I knew having those fairies around would be interesting." Pam finally speaks. "I can't believe Niall has given us permission to keep fairies. Shit, I could orgasm just thinking of all the possibilities. Oh Eric, do you think there are many suicidal fairies? I hope so." She has a dreamy expression her face.

"Focus Pam! We need to stay alert." I pick her up and take flight. "Let's go wait for the fairies."

I can't blame her for being distracted. Pam has never had a fairy, so this is like a dream come true for her. I have only had one myself and that was centuries ago. Despite my desire to have more and my love of fighting, I am not looking forward to possible attacks. Fairies are vicious fuckers, there is no guarantee we will not be injured. I'd rather not lose any of my limbs trying to capture one. It would be easier to just kill them on sight.

The house I chose is in Shreveport, not far from Fangtasia. Pam and I do a search of the property to make sure everything is secure before the fairies arrive. I keep all of my houses stocked and ready for use. I never know when I might need to lay low. Pam goes into the kitchen to heat us some blood while I take a quick shower. I join her when I am finished. We drink our blood and wait in silence. It is not long before the fairies get here. Their scent is the first thing I notice. I take a minute to calm myself before going into the living room. Pam stays in the kitchen.

Claudine has brought Sookie and one other fairy into the house. I can tell there are more outside. I keep my eyes trained on Sookie when I enter the room. I keep a good distance between myself and the fairies. A foreign feeling comes over me as I take Sookie's appearance. She is unconscious. Her body is covered in cuts and burns. She looks fragile. This is not the same crazy fairy that popped into my office two weeks ago. A low growl brings my attention to the male fairy that is holding her protectively in his arms. I narrow my eyes at him. He is also sporting some nasty looking gashes. If he continues fucking growling, he will have a few more.

"Preston" Claudine warns him. I snort at that. Preston, what a fairy name.

"What the fuck happened to her." Pam asks when she joins the room. "You said she was injured and healing, not half dead!"

"She is healing." Claudine insists "It will take time. Neave and Lochlan waited until we were all distracted with the fight to attack Sookie. By that time she was already tiring, she had been fighting for some time and was injured. She killed Neave quickly. Lochlan was more difficult. He was able to pin Sookie long enough for a brownie to force some kind of liquid iron into her. Thankfully they did not have enough time to give her a fatal amount. Torin was the first to realize what was happening and rushed to her aid. Sookie managed to free herself and slit Lochlan's throat while Torin killed the brownie."

_Preston_ had laid Sookie on my sofa during Claudine's account. He was softly running his fingers through her hair and making soothing sounds. I do not like what I am seeing. It is much to intimate of a gesture. I'm glad he is leaving soon.

"How did the burns happen?" I ask

"A few of the brownies were armed with lemons. They do not have the same issues lemons as we do. Tiny Bastards. If Sookie was full fairy, she would have never survived. I'm sure you can see why we had to get her out of Faery."

She is right. Sookie would not survive another attack. Shit, I'm surprised she is alive now.

"Preston, the others are waiting. We must leave." She turns to Pam and me. "The fairies outside have placed several wards on the house. I will return tomorrow with Dr. Ludwig."

I watch _Preston_ as he kisses Sookie's forehead and whispers his love to her. Who does this guy think he is? I have to suppress the urge to snarl at him. He finally fucking goes outside to wait for Claudine. She should have left his ass out there in the first place. Claudine pauses when she reaches the door, she turns back to me with a chilling smile.

"We are trusting you with her care." Her voice drops to a deadly whisper. "But know this Viking, if you harm her, we will hunt you down and torture you in the cruelest of ways until you beg us for your final death. Are we clear?"

I can't believe she fucking threatened me.

"Wonderful!" She claps and smiles brightly. "I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight!" She bounces out the door.

I was wrong before.

Sookie is not the Psycho Fairy

It is fucking Claudine!

"That is one crazy bitch." Pam says. I just nod in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

As we all know CH owns SVM.

Hello everyone. Happy Holidays! I will be back to update over the weekend. I hope.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

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**SPOV**

"Wake up Princess!"

I try to burrow deeper under the covers."No. Not yet. Go away!" I whine in a raspy voice.

I feel like shit. All I want is some more sleep. Is that too much to ask?

My tormentor huffs "I don't have all day. I will fetch some water to throw on you. Do not test me fairy."

I force my eyes open and turn my head in the direction of the nuisance. Dr. Ludwig is standing next to the bed looking bothered as ever. Ugh, why isn't there more Supe Doctors around? Her bedside manner sucks. She must have skipped that part of her medical training. Annoying little Hobbit!

I take in my surroundings. This is _not_ my personal quarters. Where the hell am I? The room is nice, if you like the whole dark masculine look. Yesterday's events come rushing back to me, the attack, killing the incest twins, sending Claudine to Eric. My memory becomes hazy after that. I can vaguely recall seeing the Doctor and being brought here to Eric's. This must be one of his guest rooms. I will have to suggest brightening up the place.

Ludwig clears her throat. "Oh good. You're finally awake. Let's get this over with."

She begins her examination. Is it really necessary for her to be so rough? She cleans my cuts and applies ointment to my burns. Damn lemons. I'm glad she hasn't started licking me again that grosses me out. Once she is finished her assault, she calls Claudine into the room.

"How is she this morning Doctor?" Claudine asks worriedly as she places a tray of food on the night table. I sit up slowly and point to the juice she brought up. My throat is so freaking dry. Claudine adds a straw and brings it to my mouth. I empty the glass quickly. Much better.

Ludwig narrows her eyes at Claudine "She should be hospitalized." Her tone is sharp. "But I can't have you fairies terrorizing my facility. She is weak right now but she will live. Purging her system and the IV chelation helped." That treatment was tons of fun. The good doctor jabbers on about my recovery and all of the things I am not allowed to do. I tune her out after a minute. I bore easily. I got the gist of it anyway.

Nothing!

I can basically do NOTHING!

I snap my fingers at her to gain her attention. Rude, I know. It had to be done. Her lectures can go on for a while. "How long before I am at full strength?" I ask. I'm not thrilled with the idea of depending on people.

"It will take a few days for the effects of the poison to wear off. You will be exhausted, don't push yourself. You had a very close call. Who knew your human blood would be the thing that saved your life." I let out a tiny laugh at that last bit.

Lochlan sure didn't.

Dr. Ludwig packs up her medical bag and hands a jar of her 'special' ointment to Claudine. I stop myself from asking what it is made of. I have a feeling I don't want to know. The thought of rubbing someone's saliva on myself three times a day makes me shudder. Yuck.

"The Viking will need to be careful. Your magic is weakened right now, I doubt you'll be able to mask your scent very well. I don't recommend you try to. Not that I think you will take my advice. Obstinate fairies" Ludwig gives me a pointed look as she says this.

Cranky old troll

She knows me too well

Claudine opens the bedroom door for her "Your payment has already been taken care of." Ha! She wants her gone just as much as I do.

"It better be. I will be back to check on her tomorrow."

I can't say that I'll miss her.

Claudine shows her out and returns to my room with more juice. Bless her. She pulls up a chair and helps me eat. She is practically feeding me. I'm not an invalid! I hate this. If I could, I would bring Lochlan back just to torture him before I killed him again. His death was much too quick. I really didn't have a choice, what with the iron entering my blood stream and all. At least I had the immense delight of killing his beloved sister in front of him.

That was wonderful

Claudine fills me in on what I missed yesterday while I rested. Jason and Claude have joined Niall on his search for Breandan. They had been with us at the palace. I am not surprised Jason felt the need to join Niall after what he saw yesterday. He now has first hand knowledge of how brutal we can be. I was impressed with him. Jason handled himself very well during the fight. I'm glad Niall insisted he have combat training when we were younger. He is a very skilled fighter.

I am also told of her conversations with Niall and Eric. Niall is a crafty one, he knows the chances of fairies finding me here are slim to none. Breandan's followers rarely enter the human world, even if they do come, no one knows of my association with the Viking. I hope Eric isn't too set on catching many fairies. He'll be lucky if he gets one or two.

Maybe I should tell him.

No. I'll let him find out on his own.

I finish my breakfast and Claudine helps me to the bathroom. I let out a gasp when I see my reflection. I look horrible! My beautiful tanned skin is all pasty looking. I don't know how vamps can't stand to be so pale. I have some scratches on my face, but I'm not too worried about them. They will heal. I've had worse. After a few minutes, I exit the bathroom feeling a little more presentable. Claudine has to help back into bed. Shit. That wore me out.

Have I mentioned that I really hate this?

Claudine takes my hand and sighs "Preston wanted to come with me today. It was not easy convincing him to stay behind."

"I'm glad. I'm not sure I could handle him coddling me right now too."

"Precious, he loves you so. He only wishes to take care of you." She says gently.

"I know he does." I yawn "I think it would be better if he stayed away until I am healed."

She tilts her head to the side "Do you not love him anymore?"

I roll my eyes at her."Of course I love him. He just gets too overprotective sometimes. I don't have the energy to deal with that. Besides he should be with Niall, they need him more than I do."

I do love Preston very much. At least as much as I am capable of loving him. Am I in love with him? No, I'm not. We do have a physical relationship, but the love I have for him is more of the friendly kind. I have known him for most of my life. Niall arranged our marriage when I was seventeen years old. When we were first betrothed, we tried the whole committed thing for a time. It didn't go too smoothly. After that Preston and I agreed that we would not be exclusive until it came time for us to marry. Neither of us was ready to give up our freedom altogether. There was still too much for us to experience separately. Our arrangement has worked well for us. Recently, Niall has been pushing for us to wed and conceive. He says 133 years is long enough to be engaged. It is time to settle down.

I would be fine waiting another 133 years.

Sensing that I have become lost in my thoughts Claudine speaks gently. "You are tired, get some rest."

She doesn't have to tell me twice.

* * *

It is around six o'clock when I wake up again. Dr. Ludwig wasn't kidding when she said I would be exhausted. I am also starving. Claudine has left a bottle of water on the night table. I manage to reach it and take a few gulps. Claudine bursts through the door before I have a chance to finish.

"Good evening, Sookie. Are you feeling better?" Why is she so damn she is chipper? "I have your dinner, I hope you're hungry."

"Starving. I'm feeling a little better. I'd like to try to eat on my own." I am not letting her feed me again.

"Very well." She smiles. "I will help you bathe when you are done. I've brought some of your belongings this morning." I just nod since I have food in my mouth.

My bath is not pleasant. I should have accepted Claudine's offer to give me a sponge bath. The water and soap irritate my wounds. She helps me dress in a fresh nightgown and braids my hair before applying the saliva ointment and tucking me in. She is being way too motherly, I think she needs a child.

Or a pet

If she begins singing me a lullaby, I may have to kill her.

"I must go. The Viking will be rising shortly. Being around him last night was risky. I'd rather not test his control again."

"I understand. I will see you in the morning."

She does not embrace me as she usually would. I guess she is trying to limit her scent on me.

Like that will help

"I will speak with Preston about joining Niall. I will convince him it is best." She picks up her bag. "Good night" She pops away.

I lay back and stare at the ceiling. The thought of being stuck in this bed for days is driving me crazy. I am upset with myself for being caught off guard the way I was. I know it happens to the best of us, but it's never happened to me. Neave and Lochlan's plan was clever. I doubt they thought of it on their own. Someone had to give them the idea of making me ingest iron. I know it was Dermot. He is aware of my high tolerance of iron and lemons. He knows simple contact with them isn't fatal to me.

I will have to plan his punishment later.

I'm fucking tired again.

The feeling of someone's eyes on me is what wakes me. I'm greeted with the sight of Eric sitting in the chair staring at me. That's just creepy.

"Hasn't anyone ever told it's rude to stare?" I ask

"No" he smirks at me. "You seem better tonight. You're conscious, that's a plus. I must say, you smell divine." He inhales deeply.

I rub my eyes and stretch a little. Sitting up is getting easier. Eric hands me glass of juice which I gratefully take.

"How long were you sitting there?" I ask.

He stretches his arms above his head and smiles. "Don't worry. You weren't snoring or anything." The ass knows exactly what he is doing. How long is he going to stretch?

I tear my eyes away from his toned stomach and sign in mock annoyance.

I can't really complain about the view

"Don't you have things to do? Like supervising your minions or enrapturing the fangbangers. Whatever vamp shit you do at night." His lip twitches as he tries not to laugh.

"Not tonight" He says "You have me all to yourself."

"Lucky me" I roll my eyes. He nods his head.

I am able to walk to the bathroom without much help from Eric. I feel very proud of this small feat. Much to his disappointment, I don't let him come in with me.

I made it back to bed myself too

I'm such a big girl!

Instead of laying back down, I prop myself up against the headboard. Eric sits back in the chair and puts his feet on the edge of the bed. He is dressed in the same casual way that I've seen him our last two meetings. Dark jeans, black tank top, only this time he is bare foot.

It suits him.

"So Princess, what should we do tonight?" He asks with a devious grin. "I have a few ideas. Would you like to hear them?" I bet he has ideas. I look away from him.

He really is too good looking for his own good.

Or mine

"If your ideas involve sex, then the answer is no."

He rests his arms behind his head and looks amused."Such a dirty mind you have. I like it."

Ass

If I had more energy, I would knock that damn grin right off his handsome face. Since hitting him is not an option, I do the next best thing. I taunt him. "Too bad you'll never know how dirty my mind can be." He doesn't look the least bit fazed.

He must have a lot of experience with being baited.

I bet it is from Pam.

"Once you are fully healed, I will have you Princess. Many times" He says smugly.

"Really? What makes you so certain?"

"You want me too." He shrugs "Now let us speak of something else lover."

Cocky Bastard!

Ugh! He is so damn sure of himself. I won't deny I'm attracted to him. I do have eyes. I will even admit I enjoy his company. It doesn't matter, I can and will resist his charms. Being drained during sex doesn't sound too appealing, not to mention Niall would be pissed.

Royally pissed.

"How are you dealing with my scent?" That is a safer topic. He hasn't shown any discomfort, but that doesn't mean he isn't fantasizing about bleeding me dry. While that would be fun for him, not so much for me.

He looks thoughtful for a second. "It is incredibly tempting, but bearable. My age allows me a great deal of control. You are safe."

"Yes, I imagine being old as dirt has its advantages." I grin at him to show I am only joking.

Eric's expression grows serious. Shit. I guess play time is over. "How were your enemies able to seize you?"

Wow. Way to be blunt.

Newsy ass Vampire.

Well, I might as well tell him. He is doing me a favor by letting me stay here."I should have been more vigilant." I sigh in regret. "It was absolute chaos. I had just finished killing an enemy fairy when I saw Galvin was overpowered by a group of brownies. Before I could reach him, Neave and Lochlan had me surrounded. I was not aware they were in the palace, I don't think anyone knew." The cowards stayed well hidden. "I was still armed with my broadsword and managed to kill all but one of the five brownies and elves they had with them. Neave was next to die. I took off her head." Ah, memories. "Lochlan and his remaining brownie sidekick were able to use my weariness to gain the upper hand after that. You know what they were attempting to do, so I'll leave that out. Torin's appearance gave me the advantage I needed. I was able to snatch Lochlan's dagger and slit his throat with it."

By the time I am finished, Eric has a look of approval on his face."You put up a hell of a fight. You are quite the warrior." Duh. I could have told him that.

I am awesome!

"That's me. Sookie: Warrior Princess." I quip

"You should be proud." He says "You survived what many could not and defeated your enemies."

"Oh, I am_ very_ proud." I tell him "I just wish I could have killed him before the iron was poured down my throat. That sucked." I could also do without the lemon burns. 'I would have liked to had taken Lochlan alive. It would have been fun torturing him." I pout.

He nods "There are few things better than making your enemy pray for mercy."

Eric and I spend the next hour chatting and getting to know each other better. He asks if I would like a television in here, I answer with a resounding YES! I also ask for a DVD player. We joke and he makes a few not so subtle innuendoes. It is fun. I feel so comfortable around him. It's really amazing that I can say that about a vampire. Last month I would have sooner bathed in lemonade than spent time with a vamp. I'm not sure what that means yet. I find myself looking forward to the rest of my time here. Isn't that crazy

Maybe I have gone crazy?


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that updates will most likely be once a week from here on out. Thanks for all of the reviews and alerts, they are wonderful!

* * *

**EPOV**

I rise for the evening in high spirits. The thought of seeing Sookie brings a smile to my face. Spending time with her last night was refreshing. I stayed in her room until dawn neared. She has proven to be every bit as fierce as her reputation alleges. When I told her she should be proud, I was not trying to stroke her ego. It was a fact. I have seen more experienced beings fall from far less than she endured. What is even more incredible is that after all she has been through, she holds her head high and presses forward. She truly is a great warrior. Her main regret appears to be the loss of an entertaining prisoner to torture. If she wasn't already a fairy, I would try to turn her. She would make an excellent vampire.

I am disappointed that I will have to leave her for a short time tonight. I have a meeting with the other sheriffs of the state. It is something we do monthly to insure we are all informed of any potential problems or new edicts from the Queen. We also share local gossip. Pam will stay with Sookie while I am gone, she was my only choice.

Once I am showered and dressed, I heat up a true Blood and make my way to Sookie's room. She is sleeping soundly. I pull a chair to her bedside and sit drinking my blood. I use this time to study her undisturbed.

Her hair has been left loose tonight, a wild mess of golden waves hides most of her face and upper body. Her mouth is slightly opened. I will have to tease her about that. The minor cuts and burns that are visible to me appear to be healing nicely. The slight purplish bruises beneath her eyes are also fading. I don't like seeing her in this condition. She should never look weak or defenseless. If I thought she would agree, I would offer my blood to heal her. I doubt I would be able to trick her into taking it, perhaps I could slip some into her food or drink. Niall would most likely want my head if I did. I could handle him.

The fact that I am sitting here plotting ways to get a few drops of my blood into her worries me. It has been centuries since I gave anyone my blood. Not since I turned Pam. Speaking of Pam, she would laugh her ass off if she knew what I was considering.

It is better if I keep this to myself.

Sookie opens her eyes and glares at me. "Dammit Eric! Is this how you plan on waking me every night?"

"I could always use other methods if you prefer." I waggle my brows at her. Teasing her is fast becoming one of my favorite pastimes.

"Ugh! Not this again." She groans. "Give up the dream. It's not happening."

Who is she kidding? We both know she will be my lover.

She _will _yield to me.

"I must leave you for a few hours. Pam will sit with you until I return." I tell her

She sits up and looks at me with a confused expression. "Where are you going? I thought you were taking a few days off from Fangtasia"

I smirk at her."Are you jealous, Princess? Will you miss me?"

"Don't kid yourself" she huffs "I was just curious." Sure she was. Ha!

I smile at her. "I have sheriff business to attend to." That is all she needs to know.

"Fine. What time will you be leaving? Or is that a secret too?"

"Nine o'clock." I answer her. "I shouldn't be gone long, a couple of hours at most." I turn my head toward the corner of the room where a new entertainment system sits. I raise a brow at her and point to it. "I see you have a televison now. I thought we agreed I would take care of that." I remind her.

We spoke about this last night. I already sent my day man Booby instructions to make the necessary purchases and have them delivered to Fangtasia. I grumble to myself as I pull out my phone and send him a text telling him to cancel any orders he has placed.

Sookie smiles and claps her hands ecstatically "Claudine conjured it as soon as I mentioned it to her. She also included DVDs of all my favorite shows and movies!" She cocks her head to the side "You do not look pleased."

"It is fine this time. In the future I ask that you inform me before making any changes, especially if we've already decided on something different." Hopefully there is not a fucking 42-inch T.V. in route to my bar as we speak.

This is the problem with fairies, they don't always think before they act. They automatically assume that just because they think something is a good idea, everyone else will too. If I don't nip this in the butt now, it will only get worse. At least she hasn't had the idea to redecorate my house in floral and pastel yet.

"I do not see what the big deal is. We wouldn't even be having this discussion if I was able to use my own magic. I would have simply done it myself when you suggested it." She sighs "I will discuss these things with you for now on. I cannot promise this will be the last time something like this happens though. I hope you do not expect me to ask your permission or take orders. That will not be happening. I am only required to answer to Niall."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Princess." That is not completely true. "I only ask that you to remember that while you are here, your decisions affect me too. In return I will give you the same courtesy." I tell her sincerely.

She nods "All right. I can agree to that." She closes her eyes and combs her fingers through her long hair. I'm pleased to see that she seems stronger tonight. The thought of her suffering in any way stirs feelings in me that I can't identify. I'm not sure I want to. The sooner she is healed, the better. My blood would make that happen immediately. I will have to come up a plan. It would be so much easier to persuade her if she were all human, then she wouldn't have any prior knowledge of what taking my blood entails.

"You're doing it again."

I look at her innocently "Doing what?"

"Staring! Why must you do that?" She snaps without opening her eyes.

I stare at her intently and respond with a quote. "As I gaze upon your beauty, I think to myself, never have I seen an angel fly so low" I laugh as I block the pillow aimed for my head.

"ARGH! You really are an ASS!" She yells.

I lean forward and take her face in my hands, before she can blink, I kiss her with all the passion I have to offer. She tries to resist for a moment before she gives in and returns the kiss with equal fervor. When I pull away, she is staring at me in disbelief. I quickly stand and get out of dodge before she regains her senses and assaults me with more pillows. "Pam is here. I have to go. I'll be thinking of you." I tell her as I leave the room laughing.

Pam is entering the front door when I come down the stairs. I felt her approaching before her car even made it down the street. I grab my keys off the entryway table and make sure I have my phone and wallet.

"I know that look. What did you do?" Pam asks.

Before I can reply, Sookie shrieks "ERIC NORTHMEN, YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!"

Sookie can penalize me _anyway_ she wishes, that kiss was well worth it.

I plan on doing so much more than kiss her in the future.

Pam grins deviously "This should be good. I'm so glad I let you talk me into fairysitting tonight."

I roll my eyes. It is now that I notice the big ass tote bag she is carrying. "What do you have in the bag, Pam?" I ask suspiciously

She raises the bag "Oh this? It is nothing." She says innocently. "Just some magazines, photos of different fashions I've enjoyed over the years and such. Dear Abby says an important part of friendship is sharing common interests. I think our fairy will love what I have brought."

I narrow my eyes at her. Whatever she has in that bag can't be good. "Pam, I thought you learned your lesson."

"You are so paranoid. Why do you always assume I am up to something?"

I check the time. Shit, it's 9:05 p.m. "I have to leave. I will deal with you later." I open the front door. "Be careful around Sookie. She is not masking her scent."

"It will be fine. Go play with the other sheriffs." She says before pushing me out the door and closing it.

She is definitely up to something.

* * *

My meeting went smoothly. Everyone had their financial records in order. The Queen would be pleased. No major problems were to be reported. Area 3 had a few drainers and Area 4 had a young vampire who was sent to his final death. I informed them of the trio of troublemakers I banished from my area. Like always, a good deal of time was spent gossiping. Arla Yvonne and Cleo can be worse than little old ladies. There was a couple of things I was not too happy to hear. Gervaise has had Bubba staying in his area, he says it has been getting more difficult to keep him out of the public eye. Great. Bubba will have to be moved. I also learned that Bill Compton will be returning to New Orleans soon. I can only hope he does not wish to come back to my area.

After about two hours we called the meeting to a close. I was out the door and in my car before the other gathered their things.

Pam could cause a lot of trouble in that amount of time.

I arrived back at the house after midnight. I pull my car into the garage and enter through door leading into the kitchen. I am met with the sounds of Sookie's tinkling laughter and Pam's evil cackling.

I proceed quietly up the stairs, listening to their conversation as I go. Pam knows I have returned, but does not pay any mind to me. They are discussing fashion, one of Pam's favorite topics.

"I agree, Sookie. The 1920s was fabulous decade for fashion. So liberating for many women. I could not have been more happy to see corsets become a thing of the past." She was also happy to spend obscene amounts of money on the latest fashions. "The 1970s on the other hand, that was truly a most dreadful time." I can hear the disgust in her voice.

Sookie laughs "Tell me about it! I rarely came to this realm during that time. In Faery, we have our own fashions, mostly traditional garments. I preferred those styles more than most human ones. Jason did not share my opinions. He especially loved the seventies. He was fond of the leisure suit, he had one for every day of the week." I hated those fucking things.

Pam cackles again. "You should have seen Eric in 1980s! Where is that picture?" What picture? "Oh, here it is! Do you see that horrible Members Only jacket. He thought having it in leather would make it all right."

I loved that jacket! Anybody who was anybody had one.

It looked good on me.

Sookie is laughing so hard she begins gasping for air. "I thought the photos from the 1950s were good, but this is priceless!" What fucking pictures are they looking at?

I stop my eavesdropping and enter the room. Sookie and Pam are sitting on the bed with pictures scattered around them. Pictures of me in clothing that Pam declared hideous over the years. I'm not even sure how she has half of these, she was not with me for some time, and I always avoided having photos taken of me. Most vampires do, less evidence of their existence that way.

I interrupt their little bonding session "Where did you get those pictures Pam?" I growl.

"I have my ways." She replies cooly. "I always knew they would be useful one day."

Sookie gives me an amused look "I never thought I'd see a six-foot-five Viking wearing a fanny pack!" She laughs as she waves said picture around. "What were you thinking?"

I walk over to the bed and begin collecting the pictures. They will be burned! I take the picture from Sookie. "They were very functional." I say defensively. "I received many praises for it. They were very popular for a time."

I notice Pam hasn't included any pictures of her bad fashion choices. She wore a fucking poodle skirt even though she clearly wasn't a teenage girl. A human one that is. She defended herself by stating that she was nineteen years when she was turned. Technicality.

Pam stands and straightens her clothes and turns to me. "How was your meeting?"

I allow the change of subject. "It went well. Did you have any issues here?" I know they haven't, but I ask anyway. You never know.

"Everything was fine. Sookie and I had a splendid time!" She grins.

I bet they did

Sookie nods her head. "It was very entertaining! Just what I needed after that little stunt you pulled." She gives me a pointed look.

Oh yes, the kiss.

I smirk at her. "Do not deny that you enjoyed it. We both know you did." She wouldn't have responded so eagerly otherwise. I raise my hand to her face and cup her cheek. She leans into my hand and stares into my eyes. Her eyes are hypnotizing. Everything around me begins to fade away. I slowly begin to lower my face to hers. Those strange feelings are swirling inside of me, gaining strength.

Pam clears her throat to gain our attention. "I will be leaving now. I have no desire to watch you two give moon eyes to each other. It is quite sickening."

I quickly drop my hand and take a step back. What the fuck was that? I don't do the whole _'lost in your eyes' _shit. I look at Sookie for some kind of explanation. She seems just as shaken and confused as I am. I need to get out of this room. Fast.

I give her an impassive glance. "I have some work to do. If you need anything, let me know. I will be in my downstairs office." She looks grateful that I am giving her space.

I leave the room as Pam says her goodbyes. They make plans to have another 'girls night'. Fantastic. Pam meets me in the kitchen where I am heating up a True Blood. I'd rather have the real thing, but leaving the house again isn't an option tonight. What a shame, a quick feed and fuck would help clear my mind. At least that is what I tell myself.

Pam crosses her arms and arches her brow. "What the fuck happened up there? Since when did you become the feeling type?" she asks

"I don't have feelings. You know this."

I fucking hate feelings.

She laughs. "You poor fool. You really don't realize what's happening."

"We are not having this discussion." I tell her firmly.

"Eric, you cannot ignore this, it will be better if you"

I cut her off. "Leave it alone Pam." I snap at her.

She shrugs. "Very well, have it your way. I will go. I have a hot little brunette waiting for me."

"I will walk you out."

I lead her to the front door. She pauses at the door and says "Fighting it will do you more harm than good."

"Goodnight Pam."

She nods and walks out the door. I lock everything up and head to my office. I really don't have much work to do. I just needed to be away from Sookie. I'm not sure what is happening, but I know I don't like it. My plans for seducing Sookie did not include becoming attached to her. I can't afford to develop any lasting emotional ties to her. I'm positive she would agree with me.

I will have to distance myself from her.

I spend the next few hours locked away in my office. I do not hear a word from Sookie during this time. This whole situation is getting messy. She is fast becoming a distraction. During my meeting earlier, my thoughts would drift to her constantly. I had to make an effort to pay attention. Let's not forget I want to give her my blood!

I place all the blame of this on the fucking hick that killed her cousin. If it wasn't for that trash, Sookie wouldn't have had a reason to come into the human world.

We would have never crossed paths.

She wouldn't have come to me for protection.

That line of thinking causes me distress. No matter how screwed up things are getting, I can't bring myself to regret meeting her. Even now when I am hiding in my fucking office just to avoid her, I have to fight the urge to go to her.

I stay in my office until it is time to rest for the day.


	10. Chapter 10

CH owns SVM and everything that goes with it.

Hey everyone! This chapter is a bit shorter than usual. The next will be longer. It has just been a busy week. Between Christmas decorating and shopping, report cards and school trips, I need a break!

* * *

**SPOV**

The Viking is avoiding me.

It has been two days since we shared that strange connection. What was that anyway? It freaked me the hell out. It was like for a few moments, I saw him. Really saw him, not the thousand-year-old vampire sheriff, but just Eric. It was unsettling to say the least. I'm not sure how to handle these new developments yet. I have thought of that kiss though, it was amazing. I have _never_ been kissed like that. He sure knows what he is doing in that department.

I haven't told Claudine about any of this. She may not have the best reaction. Her distrust of vampires runs too deep. I can't blame her for that. It is how we were raised. As a young fairy, you are told that vampires are your enemy and have to be avoided, they are dangerous and deadly. Do not trust them. I understand all of that, and I agree with it. Vampires are one of the few beings that can defeat a fairy. I have seen what happens when a vampire catches one of us. It isn't pretty. No, Claudine cannot know what is happening between us, if she did, she would notify Niall immediately. It is one thing for Eric to protect me, but for us to have a physical or emotional relationship is out of the question.

I have told Claudine about my time with Pam. Eric's child is quite the character. I like her a lot. She stopped by again last night to visit. In the last couple of days we have formed an odd friendship. She reminds me of Claude, they share that same _better than everyone _attitude and sarcastic humor. It is a shame they could not spend time with each other. It would be highly entertaining.

I am brought out of my musings by a knock on my bedroom door. I sigh "Come in, Eric."

Eric doesn't enter the room, instead he stands in the doorway. Okay, I get the whole giving us space thing, but come one. It's not like I have the plague or something.

"I will be in my office again tonight. Do you need anything before I start my work?" Ugh, there is that formal tone again. He has been using it for the last two days! I never thought I would say it, but I miss his little innuendos.

"Really, Eric. You can come in. I won't attack you. I promise." I smile at him.

I can see him trying to fight to keep the smirk off his face. He wants to tease me, I can fell it. He holds it back. "How are you felling tonight?" I don't care for this reserved Eric. Not on bit!

I huff. "I feel fine, much better actually." That is the truth. My strength has been returning. I can feel myself healing. "I even teleported to the other side of the room today." I say happily.

His brows furrow together. "Are you sure that is wise? You were told to rest."

"Dr. Ludwig was here when I did it." I roll my eyes. "She says I am strong enough to do small things. Can you just come in here already?"

He smiles as walks over to the chair next to my bed and sits. Much better. "Have you heard from Niall?"

"No. Claudine has kept me updated on the battle." I shrug. "They are well. Breandan has not been found yet. Many of his followers have died. He will not last much longer."

He nods and remains silent. He looks deep in thought. He looks good tonight. As always. I stare at him and try to stop the thoughts of that kiss from running through my mind. The way his mouth felt pressed against mine, demanding and passionate. How his hands cupped my face. How I want those hands to touch me everywhere. It is maddening! I shouldn't want him this much. He is playing games with me. He knows how to drive women crazy.

Finally the silence makes me crack. "Dammit! You are infuriating!" I yell.

He looks shocked by my outburst. I don't blame him. "What the fuck did I do?"

I wave my hands around as I continue to yell at him. "You know what you are doing! First you kiss me, then we share this intense connection and now, now you act like it never happened! You are doing it on purpose!" I rave like a lunatic. I'm not sure where this is coming from. I just know I'm mad at him.

He chuckles at my rant. Glad I can amuse him! "Sookie, what am I doing on purpose?"

"Making me want you more. You ass!"

"Really? I knew you wanted me." He smirks. "What would you like me to do?"

"Stop! I want you to stop."

"I think you want me to kiss you again." He says smugly.

"I don't want to want you to kiss me!" Great, now I even sound nuts.

Eric smiles that cocky smile of his and arches his brow. "Are you sure about that?" He stands and stretches his arms above his head, showing off his muscles. "Well, I have work to do. I will check on you later."

Wait. What? "You're leaving? We are not done talking yet!"

He crosses his arms "Yes. We are." He says firmly. "We will speak again when you are ready."

I huff. "I'm ready now."

He shakes his head. "No, you want to blame me for your own desire. I made it clear that I wish to bed you, when you can admit that_ you _want that as well, then we will continue our talk. Hopefully naked." He waggles his eyebrows. "Goodnight Princess." He leaves me alone and seriously pissed off.

The nerve of him! Yes, I find him attractive and have thought of him sexually, but that doesn't mean I can act on those thoughts. It would be disastrous. Not the sex, that would be fantastic I'm sure, but the after effects are what would cause problems. Forget the whole fairy/vampire thing, I'm more worried about my own feelings. I am fond of him, he has many qualities that draw me to him. What would happen after we take that step? I would find myself even more enamored with him. I would want more than either of us is willing or able to give. Eric does not do relationships, and I am already promised to another. If we did try to pursue something, Niall would end it before it even began.

I really am going crazy.

They should just lock me up now.

At least I look good in white.

I am worrying about something that isn't a possibility. I take deep breaths to clam myself down. It does no good to be this worked up. I lay back in bed and close my eyes, sleep sounds good right now.

The damn vampire invades my dreams.

* * *

"Hello my fairy friend!" I am startled awake by Pam. She is sitting at the bottom of my bed with a curious expression.

"What is with you vampires and watching people sleep?"

"You look so enticing while you sleep."

"Gee, thanks." I sit up and wipe my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't come visit with a new friend." I shoot her a droll look. "Fine. I came to find out what has Eric's panties in a twist. He was extra bitchy on the phone. When I asked what was wrong, he said something about fairies in denial and screaming."

"He is going out of his way drive me insane."

"I thought you said he was avoiding you?"

I look away from her. "He was. It was getting on my nerves."

She laughs "This is brilliant! You did not like being ignored."

"It is more than that!" I tell her. "He kisses me and I know he felt something the other night, but then he acts disinterested. I had enough and yelled at him. He told me when I am honest with myself about what I want, then we will talk."

"Eric said this?"She snickers "He must be reading the books!"

Huh? "What books?"

"Oh nothing." She says dismissively. "You know he does have a point."

"No. He doesn't."

She shakes her head. "Sookie, you need to drop the act. You want him." She holds her hand up to stop me from arguing. "This little game you two are playing is not good. Sexual frustration never is. So get off your pedestal and fuck him already. I don't like seeing my master upset."

I choke a little. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She shrugs. "I don't see why you are fighting it anyway. He is an excellent lover. You will not be disappointed."

"Pam, what happens after we sleep together? What then?"

"You'll feel much more relaxed and Eric will have a dick again. Problem solved."

I laugh. "Oh Pam, you're such a romantic."

"I try. Honestly Sookie, it is just a fling, what is the worst that could happen?"

I sigh "A lot could happen. Do you know what Niall would do if he found out?"

"So don't let him find out." She stands and grabs her handbag. "I have to go. I am due at Fangtasia soon. I will come by again."

"Goodnight Pam."

She stops at the door. "Goodnight. Think about what I said."

I reach for my hair and remove the braid Claudine did earlier. I think about what Pam said. She is right. The longer I deny my needs, the worse it will be for both of us. The tension will eat me alive. Eric has to be frustrated. I know he hasn't been with anyone since I arrived. The only time he has left the house was for his meeting. Maybe I'm being silly. It's not like I've never had casual sex before. I can do it with Eric. I am strong enough to stop myself from completely falling for him. I also have to worry about him draining me by accident. I will have to set a no biting rule.

Damn.

I can't believe I'm actually considering this. I need to relax. It's not like we would be doing anything tonight. I still need to heal more. If I am going to sleep with a vampire, I need all the strength I can get. Hiding it from Claudine will be difficult, she will know as soon as she comes in the room. I'm sure once I am full control again, she will limit her visits. I hope.

I feel like a human teenager sneaking around.

I get up and go into the bathroom to freshen up. I 'm so relieved that I don't need help with that anymore. I quickly brush my teeth and clean my face. I run a comb through my hair and decide to leave it loose. I like it better that way.

I go back to my room and sit on the bed. I fix the blankets around me in an attempt to sooth my nerves. This is crazy. I'm _never_ nervous. I can kill someone with my bare hands and not even flinch, but telling Eric I want him makes me feel jittery. Go figure.

I call Eric up before I can lose my nerve. I don't have to yell, he can hear me fine. Shit. He probably heard my conversation with Pam. Oh well.

Eric knocks before he comes in. He looks a bit irritated. Now I feel bad for going all girl on him earlier.

"What can I do for you?" He asks cooly.

I square my shoulders and reply evenly. "I'm ready to have that talk."


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone! I'm back. I know it has been too long, but like I said real life has been kicking my ass. Everything seems to be calming down now. Let's hope it stays that way. I have the next chapter half way done already. I will post it next week.

C.H. owns SVM.

* * *

**EPOV **

"I'm ready to have that talk."

"So start talking, Princess." I cross the room and take a seat. I try to reign in the irritation that is clear in my voice. Pam decided to verbally accost me in my office. That wonderful child of mine has quite the array of insults. She also instructed me to take my balls back and handle the fairy. She seems to think I have lost my touch with the ladies.

I disagree.

Sookie clears her throat "Alright." She takes a breath. "I will admit that I am attracted to you."

I wait for her to continue, but she doesn't.

I snort "That is it? All you have to say is you are attracted to me?"

Unbelievable

"What else is there to say?"

"This is a waste of time. I have things to do." I stand to leave. I could have told her she wanted me. What I want to know is what she plans on doing about it.

"I thought that's what you wanted to hear!"

"You know damn well what I want to hear." I raise my hands in frustration "Can't you fairies ever stop fucking playing games!"

"This coming from a Vamp!" She huffs "That's rich"

"Let's not fight. I didn't come in here for that." I tell her sternly.

"Fine. Then stop being an ass."

I ignore her jab and take a few calming breaths. Completely unnecessary breaths. I take my seat again and rest my elbows on my knees. I keep my voice even.

"I don't want to fight with you" I reiterate "Let's start over. Shall we?" She nods "Perfect. Now as much as I enjoy hearing that you want me, it is not news. I want to know _when_ you plan on yielding to me."

"Your ego really knows no bounds" She says dryly. " You're so convinced that you will have me."

"It is only a matter of time. I want you, you want me. I really don't see your problem here."

I already told her this.

"You are a vampire. That is the problem."

"We make excellent lovers." I retort.

"To die for, I'm sure."

"So that is your concern? That I will drain you?" Now we are getting somewhere. "I can assure you that will not be an issue."

"Forgive me if I don't take your word."

"Sookie, I am more than a thousand years old. My control is nearly impeccable. You are also only half fae. You smell isn't nearly as potent as other half breeds, I'm sure the same applies to the taste of you blood." Although I can only imagine how delicious it is. Hmm

"That still doesn't guarantee my safety."

"We can always have a taste test." I joke.

Sookie laughs at this. "No."

"Well I had to put it out there." I smirk at her. I'm glad the mood is lightening some. "I promise not to bite without your permission. Happy? What is your next excuse?"

"They are not excuses! They are very sound reasons." I raise a brow at her. "Niall would kill you if he found out. You know this."

"He could try." I smile. Now that we are actually talking, I relax more. I can fell the tension leaving my body. "Besides, how would he find out? Do you plan on telling him?"

"Ha! That would go over really well. Claudine is another story. She would have no qualms with telling him."

"Then I suggest we keep her in the dark as well. I kind of like the idea of a secret lover. Very exciting." I lick my lips. "Your cousin should be coming by less often anyway. You are healing rather quickly."

"I suppose you have a point."

"Okay. Next excuse?"

She sighs deeply. "There is also the fact that I am engaged." She says quietly

I growl "Engaged! To whom?" I haven't heard of this. The thought of someone having a claim to her infuriates me. Sookie's eyes widen at my reaction. I force myself to think rationally. She is not married _yet_. Fairy marriages are much like vampire bonds. Offenses against them are punishable by death.

"Preston." Oh yes, that prick.

She is going to marry that guy?

"He doesn't seem like you type. Are you in love with him?" Not that it would make much of a difference to me. Until she is wed, she is fair game in my book.

"I care for him very much." She says. I have my answer.

"I'll take that as a no. How long have you been with him?"

"It was arranged 133 years ago." Damn that is a long time.

I figured it is an arranged marriage.

I can't picture her choosing him.

"So you are telling me he has been your only lover for the last century. I find that hard to believe."

"I never said that. We have had what the humans would call an open relationship."

"Had? You no longer have this arrangement?"

"It is assumed that we would stop seeing other people. Niall wishes us to have our ceremony soon."

"What do you wish?" I have yet to hear her say that she wants this marriage. Or him.

"I wish to make Niall and my people happy." She says the words but her voice and eyes betray her. The sadness is obvious. She doesn't want this future.

Fucking fairies and their sense of loyalty.

I move closer to her "Well Princess. You are free to be my lover until then." I push her hair behind her ear. "I can promise you will have great pleasure." I speak lowly as I brush my fingers against her cheek. "I am a very attentive lover. I can bring you to heights you never dreamed of."

I bring my lips to the shell of her ear. She shudders and her breathing increases. "Tell me that you want me." She tilts her head to the side and whimpers. I trail my lips across her jaw. "Tell me"

"I want you"

With that I crush my lips to hers. There is no hesitation on her part this time. Her hands go to my hair and her tongue demands entrance to my mouth. I deepen the kiss as I move to hover over her. It soon becomes a frenzy of kissing and touching. Her moans are driving me crazy. I have to stop myself from ripping our clothing off and taking her. I know she is not ready for that. Yet. Sookie pulls her mouth from mine and I immediately move my lips to her neck. She stiffens and I am pulled from my lustful haze. With a sigh I back away from her. Fuck!

She doesn't trust me not to bite her.

Great. Just fucking great.

"I wasn't going to drink from you." It comes out harsher than it should.

She frowns "I didn't say that you were." She snaps back.

"Your body said it for you."

"It was a natural reaction! Vampires bite!"

"Fuck. I told you I would bite without your approval!"

"I know!" she yells. "Like I said, it was a natural reaction."

I scoff at her. "Bullshit! You trust me enough to stay in my house when you are weak and practically fucking defenseless, but you don't trust me not to bite you. Maybe you are fucking psycho." That came out wrong.

She looks pissed.

"Screw you Viking! I may not be at full strength right now, but do not think me to be weak!"

She flicks her hand and suddenly a vase from the dresser is flying toward me. I duck out of the way before it can reach me. I watch as it slams into the wall and shatters.

That crazy fairy threw a fucking vase at me!

I don't know if I should be outraged or amused.

Before I can decide, a hairbrush hits the side of my head. Hard. I didn't even see her do her freaky fairy telekinesis. I stare at her and snarl. My fists are clenched at my sides. I should fucking drain her for that. If it was anyone else, I would kill them.

"Do not push me Princess." I warn her

She crosses her arms defiantly. "You deserved it! No one speaks to me like that."

"Stop acting childish!" she rolls her eyes at me. "You are not in the fae realm now and I'm not one of you subjects. You hold no power over me little fairy. You will treat me with respect."

"I am royalty no matter where I go. You want me to treat you with respect, then give me the same."

"I' m going to do some work." I point to the broken vase."You can clean that up. It's your mess after all." I slam the door as I leave the room.

I make my way to my in home office and sink into my desk chair. That woman is driving me insane. How is possible to want to kill her and kiss her at the same time? Everything was fucking great until she stiffened in my arms. Now everything is even more screwed up than before. I have never had this many problems with a woman before. Shit. Usually all I have to do is give them a look and they are ready to please me. With Sookie I was practically begging her to be my lover. It is fucking maddening. Maybe I should look into having her stay with Pam. She would be just as safe and I wouldn't have to fucking deal with her or the attacks of flying objects.

I still can't believe she hit me with a fucking hairbrush.

Don't forget about the damn vase.

Pam would have a field day with that one.

The ringing of my cell phone breaks my thoughts. Speak of the devil.

"Speak Pam"

"_Hello Master. Why did I have the urge to slaughter the entire bar not long ago?"_

Fuck. I wasn't blocking the bond.

"I don't know what you talking about. Maybe you should look into anger management."

"_Hmm. Perhaps. This wasn't my rage though. What were you and my darling fairy fighting about?"_

"It is not your concern. Was there something else that you needed?"

"_Have you consulted the books? I'm sure you can find some advice on how to seek forgiveness."_

"I have nothing to be sorry for."

"_What did you do?" _Why does she assume I am to blame?

"Nothing." I growl. "I did nothing wrong! She attacked me!"

Shit. That slipped out.

"_Really? She attacked you? Did she throw fairy dust at you?" _she laughs

You would think she would be upset that Sookie tried to harm her master.

"Yes Pam. It is all very funny."

"_Okay tell me happened. Don't leave anything out or I will have to ask Sookie for the details."_

I give up and give an abridged version of what occurred_. _Pam is silent for a moment_._

"_So let me get this straight. You lashed out at her because she hurt you feelings? Then she attacked you with inanimate objects and now you are hiding in your office. This is brilliant."_

"She didn't hurt my feelings and I am not hiding."

"_Seriously Eric. You have to admit she has a reason to fear you. We're vampires, biting and sex go hand and hand. Especially if you have such tempting blood within your reach."_

"She should fucking trust me."

"_Grow up Eric! Both of you are acting foolishly."_ She said sharply.

"Watch your tone Pam. I am still you Master."

"_Yes Master. I think you should let me guard Sookie for a while. You obviously need a break from eachother. You have too much pent up tension."_

I know I thought about letting Pam guard her, but no_w _the idea seems rash. No. Sookie will be staying put.

"No Pam. I will continue to watch her. You are right about the tension. I should make time to release some of it. I'm sure the fangbangers have missed my presence lately."

"_They have. I'm sure they would love to have you back for a night. Will I be staying with Sookie during your orgy? Maybe she would like to come along. She looks like she could use some _stress _relief as well_."

I don't fucking think so.

"She will not be leaving the house to find relief as you put it." I growl at her.

"_Maybe some home treatment then? I have been told I have magical fingers." _

"You will keep you magical fingers away from her."

"_Relax. I was talking about giving her a massage. Such a dirty mind you have. You're awfully possessive of her. So it is okay for you to go fuck a fangbanger but you don't want anyone else to have her. You do see how absurd that is don't you?" _The sound of her cackling raises the hair on the back of my neck_. _I've had enough of her advice_._

"Goodnight Pam" I disconnect the call before she can reply.

I sit back in my chair and run my hands through my hair. Fucking Pam. She thinks she is so damn wise. Yes, I will admit that I lost my temper a bit, but I was not the only one. Sookie is just as guilty as I. Maybe I am acting possessive of her too. I just don't like the idea of anyone having their hands on her. I want to be mine. Why would want someone else touching her?

Tomorrow I will try to speak with her again. Hopefully without being physically attacked.

I should remove anything that could be considered a weapon first.


	12. Chapter 12

C.H. owns everything S.V.M.

* * *

**SPOV**

I woke this morning feeling less than rested. Thoughts of Eric and our spat kept me tossing and turning most of the night. Things did not go the way I planned at all. I'm amazed by how quickly it all went south. When I felt his mouth near my neck, my body instinctively tensed. I wasn't lying when I told him it was a natural reaction. The point is no matter how safe I feel around him or how well I can defend myself, he is still a predator to my kind. My body registered a threat and acted accordingly. How can he fault me in that?

It's not like a vampire has never attacked me before.

I do feel bad for the words that were spoken. Injured pride is a dangerous thing. It often makes you lash out and act poorly. We are both guilty of letting our tempers get the best of us. I will admit it was childish to throw things at him. At the time it was either a vase and hairbrush or conjuring up a stake. The hairbrush was the safer option for him.

I would have regretted sending him to his final death.

I may have to apologize to him.

Right after he does.

Claudine's arrival pulls me from my musing. She has an annoyed expression on her face as she drops onto my bed next to me. She huffs loudly to gain my attention. I glance over at her.

"Your betrothed is a pain in the ass." She says bluntly

I raise a brow "I thought you were his biggest champion."

"Not anymore. Besides you know very well that Niall is his number one supporter."

She is right.

"So what has Preston done to lose favor with you?"

She sighs and brings her hand to my hair and begins running her fingers through it gently. "Niall has returned to the palace. They have lost their trail on Breandan. Father thinks he will stay hidden until he can gain more followers." She looks at me to see my reaction to this news.

"I agree with Dillion. Breandan knows his best chance is to lay low for the time being." Breandan is aware of the size of our army. He would be a fool to try and defeat Niall now. He will need to gather more allies. "But what does this have to do with Preston?"

"He is pushing for your return to Faery." She says tensely "He says there is no reason for you to remain here. Now that they are waiting Breandan out, He thinks the Palace is the safest place for you."

"What does Niall say to this?"

"So far he has refused to summon you home. He says you are safer here with the Viking. You were attacked in Faery after all."

I nod "How did Preston react?" My guess is he was not thrilled.

"He argued that the Viking could kill you without anyone knowing right away. Niall replied by stating that the vampire is a man of honor and gave his word to protect you." She rolls her eyes. "Preston then said the Viking might try to seduce you to cause a scandal." She snorts.

He is feeling threatened, but he is somewhat right.

Although Eric's plans for seduction have nothing to do with wanting a scandal.

I feign shock "Really. What else was said?"

Now she gets into her story. Claudine loves gossip. "Well Niall was offended that he would even suggest such a thing!" She is very animated. Her fingers stop their movements and leave my hair. "As if you would ever stoop so low. Niall informed him that you would not betray our kind like that."

I stay silent and try not to let her see my discomfort.

"If anyone in our family was going to bed a vampire, it would be either Claude or Jason."

That is true.

"I'm surprised they haven't yet." I reply "Was that all Preston did to upset you?" I try to change the subject.

"Oh no. I mentioned to Father that I would like to resume our search for Claudette's killer and Preston tried to talk me out of it!" She throws her hands up in frustration.

"Why?" He knows how much it means to us.

"He said it was unwise and would only bring unnecessary attention to us. That our quest for vengeance would only put you at greater risk. He also said that you most likely killed those responsible for her death already."

"Even if it was Neave and Lochlan, they were not the only guilty ones." I shake my head. "I do not have to be involved right now. I see no harm in one of you talking to the shifter."

"That is what I said! No one would even have to know you are still in this realm. Besides with everyone waiting for Breandan to resurface, there is not much else to do."

"So what are you going to do? Have you been ordered not to investigate further?"

"No. Father and Grandfather think all will be well as long as you stay hidden."

I'm relieved. "Good. When are you going to continue?"

"Tonight. Jason, Claude and I will go to the shifter's bar. Jason says he has heard of a Were community not far from Bon Temps."

"Huh. I wasn't aware of that. Why hasn't Jason mentioned this before?"

"He says it must have slipped his mind." .

That happens a lot.

Claudine seems much more relaxed now that she has vented. I wish I could say the same for myself. Niall's words of trust weigh heavily. If news of my involvement with Eric got out, it would be crushing to him. The sad thing is I really do want to peruse whatever it is we have between us.

I want him

The one good thing to come from our fight is that it made me realize that I do care for him to some extent. His words wouldn't have hurt if I didn't.

I sigh as I run my fingers through my hair. Claudine rolls to her side and gives me a questioning look. I shrug in response. She knows I won't tell her what is bothering me so she decides not to push.

"Dr. Ludwig will not be coming today. She says you are healing wonderfully." She informs me

A much safer topic.

"Good. She creeps me out."

Claudine laughs. "You and everyone else. Do you remember how Jason would hide whenever she was called to examine him?"

"Yes! That was always entertaining. Sometimes I lie and tell him it was time for a check up just to freak him out."

Ah...good times.

"You act like it was so long ago." She tugs at my hair. "You did that a few months back."

"Hey it was funny!" I defend myself.

She smiles and nods in agreement. At a few moments of silence she speaks. "Would you like to try teleporting again? You need to build your magic back up."

I don't tell her I had target practice last night.

"Very well."

We spend the next few hours doing smaller things to build my strength. It feels like physical therapy for fairies. I teleport all over the house and practice projecting thoughts. I conjure smaller objects easily. It is exhausting. We take several breaks so I can eat and rest. It is after five by the time we are finished. Claudine is extremely proud with my progress. The way she is beaming at me you would think I just learned how to walk.

She really needs a pet.

"Well Precious, it is time for me to go. The dead should be rising soon and I have a shifter to speak with."

She kisses my forehead and asks if I need anything. I shake my head and tell her to go.

"Don't let Claude and Jason cause too many problems." I tell her

"It will be fine. They have promised to be on their best behavior." Yeah right. "I will let you know what we find out."

I nod "Goodnight. Give my love to Jason."

"I will. I'll see you in the morning. Rest now."

Once she leaves, I lay back and close my eyes. After not sleeping very well last night and being so active today, I need a nap. The only problem is that my mind won't shut off. I don't know what has gotten into Preston. He can be a bit overbearing at times but he is usually laid back about most things. He has never questioned our choices or shown any signs of jealously before. I hope he doesn't decide to pop in here for a visit. I really don't feel like dealing with him.

That sounds harsh

I stare at the ceiling until I drift off to sleep.

* * *

I open my eyes to darkness. The clock on my beside table reads 8:35 p.m.. I feel better after my short nap. I stretch my arms and let out a small yawn. Ugh. I'm still tired. The idea of going back to sleep is tempting but instead I go to the bathroom to freshen up.

Once I'm showered and dressed I go back into my room and think of the best way to talk to Eric. It's ridiculous that we can't have a simple conversation without arguing. Something needs to

change or else one of us will not survive.

Most likely Eric wouldn't make it.

I take a few more minutes to calm myself before I call for him. I wouldn't be surprised if he is avoiding me again. After waiting ten minutes I am convinced this is the case. I'm just about to call for him again when he enters my room. I sit up against the headboard and smooth out the blankets.

He stands there with his arms crossed and an impassive expression on his face. He remains silent.

This should be fun.

I give him a tiny smile to show I mean no harm. "Eric, please come sit." I say softly.

He nods stiffly and takes a seat. He doesn't relax nor does he say anything.

I guess I'll be doing the talking

"We both overreacted last night." I start "I rather not fight with you anymore. It is absolutely pointless." He still doesn't say anything. What did he become mute overnight?

I keep that question to myself.

It's harder than I thought to not let out a snarky comment. I manage to continue without being too

bitchy. "Look Eric. I want you. I do, but you have to give me some time to get used to the idea of being intimate with a vampire. I have spent my whole life avoiding vampires when possible. You can't get upset with me when I don't react the way you want me to." I blurt out.

I knew I should have rehearsed what I wanted to say.

He seems to relax some. I can see him fighting the smug look he wants to give me.

Ass

"You're right. We both behaved badly last night." He finally says. I'm shocked he has agreed so easily. "I am sorry for the way I treated you and for the way I spoke to you." Even though he is sincere he looks pained as he says this.

I guess he doesn't have much experience with apologizing.

"I'm sorry for assaulting you with household items." I smile

He laughs "I've never been hit with a brush before." The last of his tension leaves his body and he relaxes further into the chair. "Pam will be upset when she sees what vase was broken. She picked that one out."

"She knows about our fight?"

"Yes. I spoke with her last night. She says we both acted foolishly and needed to grow up." He laughs again.

This is what I missed all day.

When we aren't arguing, things are so easy between us.

"She does have a point." I tell him "We certainly did not act our ages."

"Don't let her hear you say that. You'll never hear the end of it."

I agree with him on that. I let out a deep breath and look over to him. We are getting off track. There are still things that need to be said.

"I'm serious about wanting to be with you. We have something between us that will drive us insane if we try to ignore it."

"I know." He says simply

"Preston already suspects you'll try to seduce me."

"Afraid of the competition?"

I shrug. There's no need to remind him that I'm already engaged to Preston.

"Niall was offended that he would even think I would be open to your advances."

Eric licks his lips and grins at me. "We both know that isn't the case."

"He can never know" I say quietly.

Eric moves closer to me and brushes his fingers against my cheek. "He won't" He whispers right before he captures my lips with his. I part my lips and wrap my arms around his neck. I may have moaned when his tongue began caressing my own.

I know we should finish talking, but I can't thinks straight when he is kissing me.

Eric pushes me back slowly so he can hover over me. His hand travels down my body until he reaches my thigh. He hitches my leg over his hip and settles his weight between my legs. My

hands twist into his hair and tug when I feel him pressed against me. Once again his lips leave mine and move to my neck.

My body tenses slightly.

Eric stops and exhales slowly.

I relax and tilt my head to the side.

Eric picks up where he left off.


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, so I figured I would post this early. I just finished with it yesterday and have already started the next one. I hope to have it out by next Monday. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their well wishes and for sticking with me! I feels great to get back to working on this story. I'm also looking for a beta and pre-readers if anyone is interested, just let me know.

C.h. is the lucky lady who owns Eric and all things S.V.M. 

* * *

**EPOV**

My lips trail down her neck and I feel her tense beneath me. Damn it. Just as I prepare to pull away, she relaxes and tilts her head to grant me better access. To say I'm surprised would be an understatement. I half-expected her to nail me with another brush. I resume my teasing of her neck and grind myself against her. I groan as I inhale her scent, it takes all that I have not to have a little taste. Just one little sip.

I run my hand over the curve of her ass and thrust against her more forcefully. Sookie lets out a breathy moan and brings my mouth back to hers. She rolls her hips in time with mine. Why the hell are we not naked yet? I rip my mouth from hers.

"Clothes off. Now!" I demand as I pull my own shirt from my body.

She grins wickedly as she pushes me onto my back and straddles me. Feisty. I like it! I make quick work of her shirt. I lick my lips as I take in her topless form. Beautiful. She leans down and nips lightly at my bottom lip as she rotates her hips. My eyes roll back in pleasure when she moves to my neck and begins to alternate between licking and sucking. I want her to bite me. I want more. I give her ass a squeeze, knowing what I want she lifts herself slightly so I can slide her pants down.

The haze of lusts clears and I growl as I hear what can only be cockblocking child's approach.

Fuck

"So I see you two have kissed and made up then."

Sookie gasps at the intrusion and quickly rolls off of me. Damn. Pam has a look of pure amusement as she strolls into the room and stands at the foot of the bed.

"Hello Pam" Sookie greets her as she rises from bed wrapping the sheet around her chest.

No!

"You didn't have to stop on my account. I do enjoy a good show."

"I'm sure you do Pam. I'm sure you do." Sookie replies dryly as she goes into the bathroom with Pam following behind her and leaning against the door frame.

I make myself more comfortable in bed while Sookie and Pam talk. I have no desire to move anytime soon. My evening calls have already been taken care of and Fangtasia opened without any issues. All I have to do now is wait for Pam to leave so my fairy and I can continue on with our night. Things were going so good. I expected another argument when I came in earlier. Sookie can be rather stubborn when she wants. That could be troublesome in the future.

Especially when it comes time for her to break off her so-called engagement.

Before I went to rest this morning, I came to a few conclusions, the first being that Sookie drives me absolutely insane. The second is that I want her to be mine and mine alone. Shocking. I refuse to give her up so she can go off and marry that fairy douche. Not happening. I am a much better partner for her. She will soon realize this.

I can see it now. We will be a spectacular pair.

Pam turns and walks over to the chair taking a seat throwing me a smug grin. I can tell she is waiting for me to say something, I choose to ignore her for the time being. She hates that. Plans of getting Niall to agree that I am the better choice for Sookie are running through my mind when Pam clears her throat. A quick glance at her shows she is getting irritated. Good.

"Something you would like to say Pam?"

"Things seem to be going well. I see you took my advice."

"What advice would that be? I was just my usual charming self. She couldn't resist." I chuckle as I hear Sookie's scoff from the bathroom.

Pam rolls her eyes. "Somehow I doubt that. You seem to lose all sense when dealing with our little fairy."

"Is there a reason for your visit? Anything that needs my attention?" I ask changing the subject.

"No. Nothing of importance. A couple of area vampires requested your assistance in a dispute. I gave them an appointment at Fantasia tomorrow night." We then make plans for her to stay with Sookie while I'm gone.

"It would be easier if you rest here for the day." She nods in agreement. "Have you heard anything from Bon Temps?"

I've had someone watching the area the last few nights to be on the safe side. If Sookie's family decides to stir up trouble, I want to know about it.

"Hmm. It seems the shifter has his hands full tonight. Three fairies spreading the love and causing mischief."

Sookie emerges from the bathroom wearing a robe and combing her long hair. "They're there seeking information on our Were."

"Is that wise for them to be out in the open?" The last thing I need is another fairy death in the area.

"Yes. Breandon is in hiding for the time being. Niall granted them permission."

Pam looks skeptical "Really. Are they sure this isn't a ploy of his? He could be waiting for them to lead him right to you."

She makes a good point.

Sookie shakes her head. "I don't think so. He has lost too many followers. He's trying to regroup. It would be suicide for him to show himself. Besides, Claudine knows to be careful." She says as she takes her place next to me on the bed. I notice her voice has gotten lower and she has a frown on her face.

"Are you worried about them?" I ask her

She sighs. "No. They can handle their selves. I'm just not used to being left back while they have all the fun." She finishes with a pout.

"They're in Bon Temps, I doubt you're missing much." Pam tells her.

"Jason is taking them to check a Were pack he's heard about. That's always exciting. Weres love to put up a fight."

Shit

That cannot be good.

"What pack would that be?" I ask. Hopefully is not one of the larger packs in the area. Damn fairies can wind up starting big problems for themselves and me.

Sookie shrugs "Does it really matter? They're all the same anyway. Mangey creatures."

Pam grins at her. "Oh Sookie, I couldn't agree more." She turns to me. "It is most likely the panthers. They are the closest Weres to that town." She says with disgust. I nod in agreement.

"Panthers? Jason will be pleased. He has never played with one of those before!"

"Sookie, these are not the most mentally stable Weres. They can be extremely dangerous when provoked." I try to warn her. Hot Shots is known for their inbreeding.

"Seriously Viking. A couple of cats is no match for three of the Fae."

"Very well." If she is not worried, so be it. We've wasted enough time talking tonight. I send Pam a look that clearly tells her it is time to leave. Thankfully she takes the hint and stands saying her goodbyes to Sookie before turning to me.

"Eric, I will return before dawn. I'll call you if any situations arise." She tells me before leaving.

Finally

I turn toward Sookie and beckon her closer with my finger.

"Come lover, let us finish what we started."

She huffs "Eric, I don't think it would be wise to continue." She raises a finger to stop me from arguing. "Pam did us a favor by interrupting. Claudine will be here in the morning and would have caught your scent on me immediately." She turns so her back is to me. "We also need to talk." I can see the tension in her shoulders. She is just as frustrated as I am.

I move to behind her and brush her hair to the side. My mouth skims along her neck and she shivers. I grin smugly. She is enjoying our little game. My fingers slide the robe over her shoulder exposing more of her skin. "There are other things we can do." I whisper. Her head rolls to the side as she makes a humming sound. My tongue darts out teasing her skin. I'm careful not to let my fangs nick her. I slowly bring my arm around so I can reach inside of her robe. I let my fingers graze across her breasts massaging them. Her back arches and she spreads her legs as I move my hand lower until I'm cupping her. My fingers tease her folds before slipping one into her. I receive a loud moan for my efforts. Unable to stop myself I rub my hardness against her back. Sookie quickly brings her hand around to stroke me. Fuck.

Without stopping her movements she turns her head to capture my mouth with hers. My fingers continue to pump in and out of her as I swallow her moans and whimpers. I thrust my hips into her hand erratically as she begins to tighten around my fingers. She releases my mouth to throw her head back and lets out a strangled cry as she explodes. Unable to hold back any longer I let out

a roar as I find my own release.

I collapse back onto the bed and close my eyes. I feel more much relaxed now. Sookie leans over and kisses the corner of my mouth. "So much for not having your scent on me." She laughs.

"It's not nearly as strong as it will be when it's inside of you." I grin at her

She stands and removes her robe glancing over her shoulder at me. "I'm going to shower, you can join me if you like."

I waste no time following her into the bathroom.

* * *

After our playtime in the shower and the bed linens have been changed, Sookie and I make our way down to the kitchen. She makes herself a sandwich while I have a True Blood. Despite her efforts to appear fine, I can see that she is tired. We discuss her recovery process some. She bitches about some spit cream she has to use. Whatever that is. I must say that she is healing rather nicely. Most of her cuts and burns are nearly invisible at this point. I am tempted to offer her my blood. Soon, I tell myself.

Suddenly an ingenious plan comes to me.

Sookie has thanked me three times since we met! According to fairy tradition, she owes me three favors now. I know I pointed out the first time, but not the other two. I can't believe it has slipped my mind. Even more than that, I can't believe she let that happen. Oh yes, this is good.

Very good

"My human half saved me, but it also slows down my healing process. Claudine's injuries were completely healed within one day." She says bringing me back to the conversation.

"Speaking of your cousin, how do you plan to keep her from finding out about us?"

"I have my ways." She replies vaguely. She seems to be distracted by something.

"Would you mind sharing?"

She doesn't answer, instead she takes her plate to the sink and gets a bottle of water before turning back to me. "I think I'll go lay down for a bit." With that she disappears.

Just when I think we are on the right track, she does this. If she starts another fight . . . I have to question my own sanity for wanting her as much as I do. I make my way up to her room and find her laying in bed watching television.

"I thought we moved past this behavior, Princess."

She turns to me and makes a shushing sound. I open my mouth to snap at her when I hear that annoying popping sound followed by the appearance of her equally annoying cousin. She rushes over to Sookie's side. Does she have a death wish? What is with these fairies and just popping into a room with a vampire? Does she not realize how appealing they are?

"Sookie! Good you are awake. I have news!"

"Hello to you too, Fairy." I tell her. She glances at me briefly before turning her attention back to Sookie. I watch as they simply look at each other. Sookie's face shows concern and anger. It takes me a second to remember their freaky mind game. I clear my throat loudly and fold my arms across my chest.

Claudine looks over to me again. "Yes?"

"Seeing as Sookie is under my protection, I should hear any information you have."

Claudine huffs "I suppose. I'll just wait for my brother and Jason. They had to make a stop."

Great. More fairies.

Just what I need.

"Are you sure Jason wasn't harmed?" Sookie asks her.

So there was trouble.

Claudine is quick to assure her he is fine. "Not a hair out of place."

Sookie relaxes when she hears this. "Good." She turns to me "They had a spat with the Weres."

Figures

Claudine laughs "The kittens thought they could take us."

Sookie is staring off into space being oddly quiet while Claudine jokes about hairballs. Atleast I think she is joking.

"Jason's coming now." Sookie's voice cuts off her cousin's stand up show.

Just as she said, Jason and Claude appear. I would love to know how she does that. It's like she has fairy radar. Her brother looks like he's had the time of his life. Bouncing around, grinning like an idiot.

"Hey Sook! You missed it! Those panthers are crazy. We kicked their ass." He rushes out in one breath. He starts kicking and chopping while replaying his battle. Sookie just nods and gives her undivided attention to what I'm assuming is his attempt at martial arts. He even adds sound effects. The cousins chime in here and there adding to Jason's play by play.

This could go on all night.

Clearing my throat, I bring them back to the present. "You had news..."

Jason stops his one man show and stares at me. Did he not notice me standing here? Claude also seems to have just noticed me as he slowly starts to move as far away from me as possible. Smart Fairy. It is taking an extreme amount of control not to attack them. I doubt I would be able to take all three of them. They continue to stare at me with narrowed eyes.

Sookie decides to interrupt our stare down. "Enough of this foolishness! Can we get back to the task at hand?" Her tone leaves no room for argument.

All three fairies look at her before Jason speaks up sheepishly. "Sorry Sook" He rubs the back of his neck. "You know Vamps give me the creeps. I hate seeing you get upset. You forgive me, right?" He gives he a lazy smile. Damn he is good.

Charming bastard

Sookie's expression softens as she looks at her brother. "I know Jase." She smiles back at him "You have news?"

Jason nods his head "Hell yeah. I do!" He gets right back into story telling mode. "We were at Sam's, asking him about the Were community near there. He said they are nothing but trouble, always getting into fights and what not. Well it seems that one of the girls went missing, they think she ran off with some Werewolf girl she met." He pauses as a look of confusion takes over his face "How do you suppose that works anyway? Aren't cats and dogs natural enemies?" He shakes his head "It just don't make any sense. Do you think they fight when they shift?"

"Jason! Back to your story!" Sookie tells him. Her cousins snicker quietly.

"Oh yeah, sorry. We head over there to Hot Shots, that's where they live. When we get there, we try snatching a few for questioning. You know, to find about the girl that took off. Anyway they just start going after us! For no reason at all. One of them even tried to bite me! Can you believe that?" He looks really upset over this. "I'm not going to that crazy doctor for shots again." He shakes his head "No way! No how!"

Claudine steps in to finish their tale. "Their pack leader was actually very reasonable for a panther." She smiles wickedly "We only had to kill two of their members before he stepped in."

The Hot Shots Pack is a small pack. There are very few panthers around anymore, losing two of them is a great loss for them. I'm sure they would have done anything to get the Fairies to leave.

"Well, what did you find out?" Sookie seems to be impatient.

"The girl missing is his niece, Crystal Norris, she is the girl we've been looking for! He confirmed it as soon as we showed him the pictures." All four of the fairies in the room look giddy at the prospect of finding this girl.

Sookie even lets out a tiny squeal before speaking excitedly. "Do we know where she is? Who she is with?"

"Unfortunately, we do not. She hasn't been seen since the week before Claudette's death."

"What of this friend she ran off with?"

Claude is the one to answer her. "One of the younger cats claims the girl is from Jackson." He growls "We believe this was her accomplice. From what we gathered, even with Fairy help she isn't cunning enough to pull it off alone."

"What did this other Were look like?" I ask. I'll have to call Alcide, he may know something.

"She looks like a Were, what else?" Claude rolls his eyes at me.

"Did you get a physical description? You know, hair color, height, someway to identify her." Do I really need to explain this?

"No, we are hoping Sookie can try to pluck it out their heads when she is back at full strength." Claudine says as she makes her way over to the chair next to Sookie. Claude is leaning casually against the dresser. I guess they have gotten over their aversion of being in my house with me.

Claudine is smiling as she informs me they wish to speak with Sookie in private. Family business, or so I'm told.

By now, Jason has moved to the bed with his sister. He seems to be staying for awhile. Great. He has his head resting on her shoulder wearing a look of pure concentration. His nose is wrinkled and he appears to be sniffing the air.

Okay

"Hey, Sook. Why does it smell a little like sex in here?"

That's my cue to leave.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay. It's a bit short but the next one will be longer. I'm still getting back in to the grove of writing.

As always C.H. owns it all, I just borrow it.

**SPOV**

Shit!

Damn, Jason and his uncanny ability to detect when sexual acts took place! Claude looks mildly interested and Claudine is giving me a suspicious look.

"Yes Sookie, do tell." She insists

Come on Sookie! Think fast.

I laugh "Oh! The Viking is a strange one. Apparently he has some sort of fetish for ointments. He got a little excited when I asked him to apply the spit cream to my back." I finish with a shrug.

That sounded believable. Right?

"Really" She asks in a voice full of doubt. "Tall, Blond and Dead is into that?" I nod in reply.

Thankfully Jason does what he does best and eases the tension in the room. "Yeah, I can see that! Those vamps are some kinky fuckers. You know that vamp that lives across the cemetery? I heard that he likes to braid girls' hair and listen to throat singing before getting busy. That's just strange."

"That is strange." I agree quickly

"Relax Cousin, if I thought I would survive I would be all over the fine Sheriff." Claude says with a wicked smile. I have to restrain myself from attacking him as an unexpected wave of jealously hits me. I'm sure that would give me away to Claudine.

Jason must have felt me stiffen because almost immediately he begins to rub soothing circles on my arm. Claudine is still watching me shrewdly.

I really need to change the subject.

"Hey, what else did you learn tonight?" I ask as I settle further into bed.

Claude shrugs "Nothing much. The Were hicks have disappeared, for now. I think we should torture them twice as much when we find them." He says casually.

Jason yawns loudly "Damn. Fighting makes me tired. What I don't get is, why don't the other panthers just track her if they're so worried?" All three of our heads snap in his direction.

"Jase! You're a genius!" I yell excitedly and plant a loud kiss on his cheek. "They would have tracked her. Her pack either knows exactly where she is and is lying or she has someone using magic to hide her!"

Both Claudine and Claude's eyes gleam dangerously at this. They know I'm right.

"Yes, one of Breandan's followers could be continuing to help her." Claude says thoughtfully.

"You will have to tell Niall." I tell them "Have any of you picked up on any suspicious scents near our portal?"

Jason answers "Nope, but we've been in Faery the last few weeks. It'd be easy to miss something." He shrugs.

"They could be using a different portal." Claudine says thoughtfully.

"No, ours would be the most convenient; especially if they knew it was unguarded." I point out "Are any of Breandan's most trusted still alive?"

Claudine thinks for a moment. "No. Preston killed the last one during battle."

Of course he did.

"What about Dermot?"

"No Sook, he wouldn't do that! Claudette was his kin." Jason protests.

"Bullshit! He is a traitor! He cares nothing of us. Hell, I bet he is the one that helped plan the attack on Sookie!" Claudine yells at him.

I glance at Jason worriedly. I can't really fault him for defending Dermot. Jason tends to always look for the good in people. He can be downright naive at times, so easy to trust others. I often question if we were right to shelter him.

"Jase" I say gently as I lift my hand to his face. "We don't know what he is capable of. He has betrayed us before. We can't rule him out yet." He nods sadly in understanding. I turn to Claude "Why don't you boys go, it's nearly dawn."

Claude takes the hint and stands "I think you are right. I need my beauty rest. It is exhausting being this beautiful." He smirks "Come Jason, after our sleep we will go to Hooligans for a night of sin."

Jason smiles, his eyes lighting up briefly. "Yeah! We earned it." He gives me a quick peck on the forehead before jumping out of bed with forced enthusiasm. "Night Sis! I'll try to stop by soon"

Hopefully Claude will lighten his mood quickly.

As soon as they pop out of the room, Claudine turns to me. "Do you think we will need to kill Dermot?"

"If it is he that has aided the Were, then yes I do." I sigh "Though it may cause issues with some of our people. It doesn't matter that he is a traitor, he is still considered one of our own to many."

She hums in agreement. Despite Dermot's crimes, he is a member of the royal family. If he is to die, it will have to be done carefully. Breandan is an opportunist and would use any misstep on our part to gain support. The last thing we need is Breandan getting any sympathy followers.

The sooner he is out of the way, the better.

"Then let us hope our dear uncle played no part in Claudette's passing. If he did, Claude and I will take great pleasure in slowly skinning him alive. Kin or not."

I can see the anguish in her eyes as she thinks of their loss. It is a hard sight to see. I can only wish I never have to experience the untimely loss of my own twin. One of the main reasons I came to this realm to help her seek vengeance is because I know there will be no peace for her until all those responsible are held accountable.

"No matter the outcome, I will be by your side." I assure her

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" She agrees.

"Now tell me whom Preston has ended."

"It was Afton. He was found lurking around the palace. They believe he was there to make an attempt on the Prince's life. Preston acted swiftly and took his head before any damage could be done."

"I'm sure Niall is quite pleased with him." I say dryly. I am still feeling somewhat bitter over Preston's lack of support.

She nods quickly. "Yes, I wouldn't be surprised if he is planning to have a statue built in his honor." She says sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"I can see it now!" I laugh "I sometimes wonder why Niall doesn't marry him since he seems to love him so." I joke

Suddenly her whole demeanor changes. Her playful expression is replaced with a grim one. I can sense her worry clearly.

"Speaking of your upcoming marriage." Shit! "Do you need to be reminded that now is not the time to start a torrid affair with a vampire?" She leans back in her chair giving me a knowing stare.

I square my shoulders and give her a blank stare. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Playing dumb always works for Jason.

"Oh Cousin, you can't fool me." She shakes her head "I may not know all of the details, but I know you are up to something." I remain silent "I thought Preston was being absurd, now I can see he has reason to be concerned." She laughs humorlessly "You know this can't continue. Niall will not stand for it."

I know she has a point but inside I am seething. The resentment that I have kept buried for years begins to push to the surface. My whole life I have done everything that was expected of me without any argument. No more! Any doubts that I had over becoming involved with Eric fade away as a new determination settles over me. I am going relish in whatever time I have left before I am forever tied to a life of responsibility.

"What about what I want?" I hiss at her "Am I not entitled to make my own decisions? Have I not done all that was asked of me?" I throw the covers from myself and move from my bed to pace angrily in front of her. "Everything I have ever done has been at the approval of Niall. Hell! Even my choice of bedmates had to meet his standards!" I come to a stop and give her a hard stare. "Tell me, is that fair?"

"You know why it had to be that way." She says softly "You are the next ruler, our people need to admire and respect you."

"I never asked to be Niall's heir!" I yell in frustration "It was chosen for me, just like everything else." I clench my hands at my side. "For decades I have watched all of you enjoy freedom, including my betrothed while I was looked at under a magnifying glass! Every aspect of my life has been planned for me since I was seven years old!" I inhale deeply to calm myself. "I have agreed to bind myself to Preston and be the ruler that I am expected to be, and I plan on keeping those promises. In the mean time I am going to take full advantage of what time I have left. For once I am going to do as I please." I finish firmly.

Claudine recovers from my rant and looks at me pleadingly. She reaches for my hand and holds it tightly.

"Sookie, you must reconsider. The vampire is not worth the risk." She whispers

"This is not about the vampire. It is about me. I will not sacrifice any more of myself until I have no other choice." I squeeze her hand "My mind is made up. If you cannot support me, then you can leave now and forget that we ever had this conversation."

Her eyes widen slightly at my statement. "You have to know this will not end well."

I pull my hand from hers. I can see her resolve weakening as I look into her conflicted eyes.

"Will you not keep my secret?"

She stares at me searching for any sign that she can convince me to change my mind. When she finds none, she lets out a loud sigh of defeat. I throw my arms around her neck and hug her.

"If you are in any danger, I will not hesitate to go to Niall." She warns me.

"I don't believe Eric would harm me." I tell her honestly.

"We will see." She lets out a snort. "I am starting to understand why people think you are crazy."


End file.
